As it turned out, no matter how good an ice cream cone is, walking back to the school always seems to happen rather fast. Me and Percy had a great time, despite the small interruption that was my talk with Cally. We mostly talked about random stuff, but I had fun recounting the last and final games of the tryouts that led me to being on the team. He seemed impressed at least, despite how I kind of felt that it was mostly the system that was pushing me through.

But after all of that, we had finished our cones and we had to walk back to the dorms. I walked beside Percy all the way to the dorms and saw Percy fall to sleep quickly on the other side of the room while I stayed awake despite how my body was grumbling at me and aching from the day. Honestly, this was probably the most sore I had been in a while… Or at least that's what it felt like.

But I had work to do, so around midnight I got up and put on my leather jacket alongside my shoes, making sure that my daggers inside my jacket pockets were easy to slide out as I did. Monster hunting… Honestly not a bad way to spend a night. I just wish I could have felt like I was ready to fight instead of just feeling stiff and wanting to lie down when I started thinking about my body instead of just getting on with jogging down through the stairwell and through the dorms into the grassy field.

I had a plan in my mind after so much time spent lying down with closed eyes. I had felt something watching me when I entered the shop the first time. So I had to simply use one of my newer abilities to ‘sneak’ into the parlor and be seen by whatever monster is there. Stealth. I would get a direction from where they were watching the parlor, and I would go from there to find out more.

I could use the Tracking ability, but I had less trust in myself using it in this situation. It had always felt that it was for tracking down targets that you can't find through a city, rather than anything like a small park or something. It got a bit annoying when I tried to listen to its hints for anything much other than that. So I would only be using it if the detection part of my stealth passive ability didn't work well enough.

The plan wasn't exactly infallible though. It was midnight, and monsters do sleep. Plus the parlor was closed so maybe they wouldn't watch it? Well, if nothing comes of the Stealth plan I could start to Track them. Though if it comes to that, I might need to just stake out the parlor tomorrow and wait. Though I could do that, it was Saturday tomorrow after all, I honestly didn't like the idea in any other way then I would be less tired.

I controlled my breathing to ignore my body for a few minutes as I started darting along the ground and out into the city through the shadows. It was clearly effective because soon even the chilly breezes that hit my face seemed to disappear for me.

There were eyes that caught sight of me among small groups of people who were sculking in the shadows, but for the most part I went through the streets without notice with the guidance of the instinct given by the Stealth passive. I contemplated picking a fight with some of the more obvious criminals just to relieve some of the tiredness I was feeling but decided against it. I wasn't sure whether or not they had guns. And I wanted to get back to my dorms without blood on me. Mostly just because of the blood to be honest.

I almost made it to the parlor without any issue entirely, but there were two times where I was seen by a gang of teens. Both times they called me out, and both times when I grinned through my irritation with some amusement and drew my daggers out, glinting at the edge of the shadows they decided to leave me alone. That was kind of fun to see them run away, but not really. Though, maybe I was just too sleepy to care. I was always told I was pretty wild at night in my past life. My killstreaks proved it. Video game killstreaks that is. Though maybe in this universe- Nope. Not going there.

I was a bit unhinged and wild right now, less cautious. But I think I could compensate.

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That was probably why when I made it to the parlor and sneaked out in front and under a bright lamp post I didn't feel the sense of being watched immediately. But when I realized what I felt and I recognized where it was coming from I slinked into the shadows again and I seemed to become unseen again as the weird feeling disappeared. I turned my eyes up across the street and I looked out at a small but bright light of a fire coming from an alleyway as a large humanoid shadow slid back into the alleyway.

I darted out and around the bright spots of light on the street, making my way towards the bright alleyway, kneeling on the hard cold stone and peering around the corner of the brick building it was in between. In the very center of the alley, there was a large trash can that had a fire going, lighting and warming up most of the alley around two large figures. And when I say large, I mean large. They were at least seven feet tall, bordering on eight, and still looked wide and full of muscle. They looked nearly human if it wasn't for their size and their neanderthal-esc features.

I silently cursed as I looked them up and down. As far as Greek mythology went… I believe they would be laestrygonians. As much as the system helped… I think I could barely take them on if they were together. I only had daggers after all, and they were made from mortal materials too.

“Hey Billy, I think we can head back to the others at camp now? It's too dark to see!” I heard the one closest to the fire grunt, complaining and looking annoyed. Billy didn't seem impressed. “It's called a gym, idiot! We left camp days ago…” Billy responded, with a grunt of irritation of his own. “I know that! But nobody is around but a few kids, and they are too small for supper. I am hungry!” The smaller one grunted again, clutching at his stomach as if he was starving.

Billy gave a grunt at that and stood up. “Ok, but if the boss tells us to stay here for another day because of your idiot ass, Bloodfisty, I am going to eat you instead!” He threatened menacingly, but Bloodfisty seemed uncaring and they started thundering down the street with the occasional grunt and sniff towards the entrance of the alleyway.

I took a few dozen steps back and into a dark shadow behind me as they exited the alleyway and started walking around on the street.

‘Their names are… Actually pretty on point for cannibals?’ I thought to myself with amusement as I stayed silent, letting them pass before starting to think tactically. ‘So, a camp of laestrygonian giants are in a gym somewhere, and for some reason they sent out these two to watch the parlor. Nothing about this makes sense… The laestrygonian giants are usually in Canada as far as I remember from canon? Though maybe that was a joke…’ I recall with a scowl noting my lack of information.

‘Something made them come out here, and to the parlor in particular.’ I concluded with a frown. But then I shrugged and peeled away from the shadow I was hiding inside to follow after the retreating backs of the cannibals. ‘Whatever. Not my problem, I just got to kill them somehow. Reconnaissance for now then.’ I reaffirmed to myself and then I got to work watching from the shadows under the guidance of Stealth.

Then out of nowhere, Bloodfisty, at least I think it was Bloodfisty, stopped and started looking around while inhaling deeply. “Do you smell that? I think it smells like a demigod!” He asked, suddenly seeming excited and making me back away farther into the shadows, glancing down at my hand which I realized quickly had no ring on it. Of course I had forgotten to put on the only shield that prevents monsters from feeling my presence. I cursed to myself in my mind while I slipped a hand into my pocket and then put Masatr onto my finger silently.

But it seemed that Billy did not sense anything so he gave a light smack to Bloodfisty’s head before turning to walk on. “Come on, you are getting too hungry. It's your imagination.” He told the man with a grunt before starting to walk again with a slightly annoyed Bloodfisty behind him rubbing his stomach and looking confused.

I gave a sigh, rubbing the now secure Masatr on my finger with my other hand as I collected and scolded myself in equal measure. I had forgotten about my number one stealth tool when stalking monsters. If they had both smelled my aura… I would have to fight them and wouldn't find out how many of these things are in town and therefore couldn't complete the quest. One simple mistake… One thing I forgot about temporarily… Well, to be fair I didn't forget. I simply didn't think about it. I don’t have the experience to go with any skill I might have. That is my main issue right now and for the foreseeable future. Experience and actual physical plus mental learning.

I gave a sigh before peeling away from the shadow I was inside, feeling out the area with my passive while I followed my prey into the night of New York.