Zeus (The God Chronicles #1)

Chapter Three

"Breakfast!" I hollered with my happiest voice.

My morning had started beautifully, and I decided to make pancakes to hopefully show my roommates I wasn't purposefully staying away from them or selfishly eating them out of house and home. If they were willing to share their food with me, the least I could do was cook for them. Hopefully they would see it as a gesture of kindness and not hate me because I was disturbing their sleep. As I was warming up the syrup, Jenny came out of her room.

"Wow! That smells divine!" She was wearing a baggy t-shirt and shorts, her hair sticking up in every direction. Not far behind her was Julie, looking more or less identical. I felt a little better about my own bedraggled appearance.

"I thought you could all use a good breakfast after your partying last night," I said with a smile, pulling out plates as they sat down.

"And it was some party." Jessie yawned, announcing her presence as she came down the hall. "This is exactly what I needed this morning. Thanks, Karly."

"It's nothing, really. I mean, it's your food anyway." I put the dishes on the table and Jenny set them in their places.

"Well, we don't cook like this," Jenny sighed in pleasure.

"Hey, Karly, I moved your picture last night because I almost bumped into it. I hope that's okay?" Julie asked, while pulling out some milk from the fridge.

"It's fine, I figured that's what happened."

"It looks awesome. What will it be?" Jessie stood in front of the canvas, staring at it intently.

"A storm over the desert," I replied. She nodded, continuing to gaze. After a moment, she turned.

"Do you need help with anything? Sorry, I spaced out looking at your work. I was imagining what it would look like with one big bolt of lightning stretching across it." She shrugged her shoulders while her sisters chuckled. They all exchanged another one of their grins I didn't understand, as if they shared an inside joke.

"No, I think we're ready to eat, actually." I carried the pancakes to the table, cutting their glances short.

"I've got the syrup," Jessie said, grabbing it off the kitchen stove.

Once seated, we dug right in, remaining silent as we savored the taste. After a few mouthfuls there was general thanks and compliments to my cooking, accompanied by exaggerated eye rolls and moans of ecstasy, which made me embarrassed. It was probably the best batch of pancakes I'd ever made.

"So, tell me about the party," I said after a few more moments of quiet.

"It was a ton of fun," Julie said through a mouthful.

"The DJ was totally rocking it all night," Jenny added, after swallowing.

"Sounds like you had a good time." I felt a little disappointed I'd decided to stay home. Now that I was finally getting over my nerves and feeling more comfortable with living here, I wanted to do something.

"We're going again tonight, if you want to come," Jessie said. "You need to get out of this apartment! School starts tomorrow; come play on the last day of break. Please?"

I laughed at her mock pleading tone of voice.

"I think I will," I said, after appearing to debate with myself for a bit. "I'd like to see what all the fuss is about!"

"Yay!" Julie leaned over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, squeezing me in a one armed hug. "You'll love it! You've never been to the Strip before, right?"