Prompt from Sonofthetrigod: Ninjas, roosters, and vampires
Continued from last chapter.
It starts with a static, a noise that encourages one to put their hands over their ears. It's coming from somewhere to the left of the camera, and there's a vague rumbling noise, like an engine, that's closer to the camera. It's more or less quiet besides the two sounds, which are interrupted by a loud, sudden cockle-doodle-doo.
"Percy," comes Grover's disapproving voice behind the camera, "That's not even the politically correct noise a rooster makes."
"Animals have 'politically correct' standards?" Percy's voice punctuated by a snorting laugh.
Grover huffed. "Obviously."
Annabeth interrupted Percy's "W–": Okay. Let's just do what we came here to do. The 'Mission,' and all that? Do you guys even remember why we're in Maine to begin with? How our first clue were the Scythian dracaenae... Now it's the cattle..."
"What happened to the cattle again?" Percy's question was met with a sputtering from Annabeth as the camera moved closer to the engine noise. "I mean specifically."
"Drained of blood." Her tone was short, stern.
An eugh. "Is that even 'politically correct' for dracaenae?"
"Um– I don't think so. I also don't think you used that correctly."
"Politically correct, you mean."
"No..."
"Sounds like vampires to me."
"AAH!" Loud rustling, and a thump– as if the camera hit the ground. From above, muffled, comes laughter and Grover's angry "Don't do that, Nico!"
"C'mon, Grover, it's hilarious when I go all ninja on your a–"
"It's never funny when you pretend you're a ninja! Just because you wear black and move around silently 'through the shadows' does not make you a certified ninja!"
A sigh; the rustling returns, as if the camera is being lifted back to it's regular height. "Do you even know what ninjas were even meant to do?"
Silence. "... Ninjas were actually real?"
"Yes!" Annabeth, sounding particularly disappointed in society. "They were against the Japanese samurai. Sort of like a revolution thing. They were real warriors that did real things, not just jump around rooftops in the shadows–"
"But they did hang out on rooftops and in shadows." Nico, sounding as if he needed some consultation on his ninja status.
Annabeth made a strangled sound– "Arg!"– that seemed to get farther from the camera.
Grover chuckled, probably at his supposed revenge, and followed Annabeth.
From behind the camera, just in ear-shot, Percy and Nico were talking.
"... cool entry, by the way. You said it sounded like vampires? Nico, I know I'm sorta new to the mythical side of the world, but even I know those don't exist."
"Well, there are the empusae... Those are near vampires. Maybe they like cattle."
"Arn't empusae just... creature things that eat babies?"
"Eh. Like I said, maybe they moved onto cattle, which are safer to eat... Y'know, lying low, and all that."
"But vampire-like-empusae are a little bit of a stretch."
The rest of their conversation is muddled, and Grover and Annabeth are silent. A sheep bleats; Nico asks, "Why is Grover filming, anyway?"
"Eh. He's on a filming career kick, or something. Took like thirty clips of the ride up here."