okay so I feel I should mention I do not live in the US (as might have been obvious from my spellings of words like colour or phrases that people over the pond might not use idk) so please excuse any weird bits that don't make that much sense. I do plan on going back through this when/if I finished it to tidy up literally everything so if you do see something I would appreciate being told if I'm completely wrong.

google maps is literally my best friend

I'm really going to regret this in the morning. - Alyx

I kept to the shadows as I moved through camp, staying as close to the forest tree line as possible. The harpies tended to prefer the more open areas, and there was more foliage nearer the trunks.

The night was clear, the stars just about visible in the sky, with a couple of wispy clouds meandering across the blanket of navy. The moon was a thin sliver, which was useful for me. It was dark on the ground, the shadows cast by buildings and bushes were almost indistinguishable from the rest of the murk.

My moonlit adventured proved quite simple, really. Even boring. I had to stop a couple of times as I heard movements somewhere just ahead, before I realised the source of the sound was something mundane, like a tree branch knocking against a fence, or a fox darting through bushes.

I reached the base of Half Blood Hill without much hassle, really. I stood by the pine tree, my hand resting lightly on its bark. Peleus slept soundly at its base, coiled around the tree. I didn't wake him, and moved swiftly from the top. Being high up would only heighten my chances of getting caught.

The ground changed beneath my feet as I stepped up onto the road, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I'd done it- I was out. I sped up a little, hastening to a speed walk as I travelled down the road. It had been a few months since I'd been in the mortal world. I, like a few of the other demigods, was a year-rounder. I'd go back home maybe for Christmas every year or two, but for the most part I stayed away from my father. He didn't need the constant worry of being attacked on top of everything he had to deal with.

My relief was quickly forgotten as memories of my previous experiences out here came flooding back. The monster attacks were the first to be remembered, followed by the battle of Manhattan. That was the last time I'd been out here, and it hadn't been a very pleasant experience.

I sped up to a jog, feeling my spine tingle as though I could feel eyes on my back, watching my every move. I was in for a long night. It would be a while before I reached any form of public transport- I had only mortal money to spend, and even that was… lacking.

I existed primarily on coffee for the rest of that night and a decent way into the morning. I stopped for a couple of hours near the road to rest, sleeping for only a few hours before my nightmares woke me again and I was unable to sleep longer.

So I continued on wards, making my way toward Southampton. From there, I had enough money to catch the train to Long Island City, and from there… From there I would be close enough to start my search in earnest.
I know, I know. It's sounds so stupid. New York was massive. I was looking for a needle in a haystack the size of the Empire States Building. But I knew this was the right way to go. I had a feeling I would find Cinder- I wasn't too sure where exactly, but I knew I would be able to.

By the time I reached the train station, the sun was high in the sky. I stepped from the carriage onto the platform, readjusting the bag on my shoulders. By this time, I imagined that my absence back at camp would have been noticed. I wasn't too sure what would be done in search of me, but at this point I couldn't think about that. A twinge of guilt poked my insides, before I cleared it from my mind and set off into the streets of the city.

I scanned the billboards as I walked, very rarely looking at where I was actually going. I scoured the adverts for ones I remembered, going mostly by colour. I hadn't seen them for long enough to really pick out the details- only vague shapes that even now were blurring further.

The sun drifted across the sky, briefly obscured for an hour or so as clouds decided to dump a light drizzle over the city. I hadn't prepared for bad weather- I'd almost forgotten it had existed. The weather at Camp Half-Blood was never anything less than perfect. Well, that was unless some world-breaking event was happening, but it had been a couple of weeks since one of those so I'd mostly put them from my mind.

My orange T-shirt started to stick to my back a little as the drizzle slowly worked its way in, soaking the fabric through steadily. I called it quits about part-way through the shower, taking shelter beneath a coffee shop's canopy. I moved on quickly when the rain stopped, all too aware of the glares I was getting from the cafe staff.

It wasn't really until the sun had started to get low that I made any significant progress. I'd been wandering the general area for hours by this point, and my exhaustion was starting to catch up. I'd caught I brief nap on the train, but I'd long since run out of coffee. If I came across a monster, I was pretty sure I would die.

I kept moving, though. I didn't stop looking, and it was good that I didn't. It must have been fifteen minutes after I'd started seriously considering giving up and turning back home, when I saw something I recognised.

On one of the taller buildings of this particular block, I saw a huge billboard. It was identical to the one I'd seen in my dream, which was starting to look quite fuzzy now as well. Its metal was covered in peeling sky blue paint, which I imagine would have matched the sky, had it not been as faded as it was. Plastered on the board itself, with strips hanging down where the glue was wearing away, was a smiling woman. She held a jar in her hands- I think it was a type of sauce or something- and honestly looked like she was dead inside. There was a phrase beside her, written in huge white letters that clashed with the bright yellow background. It hurt my eyes trying to read it- I got about as far as the first letter (Which was a T) when I gave up.

Besides, I didn't have the time to stand around admiring advertisements. As soon as I saw the board and recognised it, I set to finding the alley from which I had seen it. My need for sleep was seemingly abandoned, and I dashed across the road, surprising the few people I had to push past. A car screeched, and I heard someone using some very colourful language. I didn't care though- this was it.