Zach: Guardian of the Multiverse

Chapter 22: Breakfast and fun

Once I woke up from that premonition I quickly forgot about it and went back to sleep until the next morning. Once I woke back up I stood up and stretched for about two minutes. Sleeping on the couch is not very comfy if your 6' 6". After that Blair decided to wake up and walked to the kitchen with me.

I decided that in order to repay Lena's kindness for letting me stay the night, I would make her and Jenny breakfast. But what to make was the question. I looked in the pantry, which was a small set of cupboards next to the fridge. Coffee, tea, dried pastas, spices, and other foodstuffs were in there. I decided to take a tin of coffee grounds out and set it next to the coffee pot.

"What'cha doing?" Asked Blair with curiosity.
"I," I say as I bend over and open the fridge, "am looking for something to cook for Lena and Jenny. Think of it as payment for letting us stay the night." I see a carton of eggs, a pint of milk, cream, orange juice, and a small pack of bacon along with assorted fruits and vegetables. I pick out maybe half a dozen eggs, the bacon, salt, pepper, and a little jar of dried chives.

    The first thing I do is pour some water into the coffee maker and let that heat up while I get to work on the breakfast. First and foremost, wash hands. Check. Next, while the others are still asleep, I turn my coat into an apron using magic. I then get started on the bacon, as it would take longer than the eggs. I heat a medium sized frying pan and added a small amount of olive oil as to not let the bacon stick to the pan and burn. Once that was heated I placed the bacon on the pan two or three at a time, flipping regularly with a pair of tongs until they are both crispy and tender. Once the coffee maker beeped that it was ready I put in a cup of coffee grinds and let the coffee brew in the pot.

    I gotta say the smell of the bacon and coffee alone was that so intoxicating that I was surprised no one was up. Once the bacon was ready I placed it on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain any excess grease. I kept using the pan I made the bacon on, though.

    I carefully cracked an egg on the countertop and placed the innards in the sizzling pan. The bacon grease inside will give the egg a bit of crispness. Seasoned it with salt and pepper. While I was cooking I heard a door open and Lena walked out wearing a grey shirt and light blue pajama pants, yawning.

    "Morning, Lena." I said flipping the eggs over in the pan, seasoning again just to be safe. Lena walked over to the coffee pot and poured her coffee into a coffee mug.
    "Morning, love. What are you doin'?" She asked curiously.
    "Oh. I hope you don't mind, but I decided to make breakfast for y'all. As thanks for letting me stay the night." I said "y'all" out of habit because I was born and raised in the South.
    "Oh, you didn't have to do that, love. I would have done it myself. Does smell delicious, though." She said as Jenny came up of her room and to the bathroom, seeming to be oblivious to the cooking going on. I looked at Lena curiously.
    "She isn't a very good morning person." She said as I was serving Lena's plate with an egg and two strips of bacon.
    "Aha." I said as I gave Lena her plate and grabbed her coffee mug. "Cream and sugar?" I asked.
    "Cream and a pinch of sugar, love." Said Lena as she grabbed a fork, knife, and a napkin. I made Lena's coffee and gave it to her as Jenny came out to find her food made and plated. She still seemed a little groggy as she sat down with Lena on the couch and me in a chair close by.
    Jenny finally decided to wake up after she took a bite of her eggs as yolk poured out. "Oh Wow." She said covering her mouth in surprise. "Lena? Did you make this?"
    "Wasn't me, Jenny. Ole Zach over 'ere decided to make us breakfast to thank us for housin' 'im." She explained as I continued to eat. I gave Blair what I didn't finish and she ate it happily.
    After everyone was done eating, Jenny volunteered to wash the dishes as thanks for breakfast. I checked a nearby wall clock and stood up, Blair jumping on my shoulder as I did. "Well, thanks for letting me stay the night and all, but I should really get going."
    "No problem, mate!" Said Lena, "What are you going to do now?" She asked
    "Oh I might go out and see the sights of London. Always wanted to come here." I said. It was the truth, I've never been to England before. But I was hiding the fact that I needed to keep moving. The life of a traveler, I guess.
    Lena got up from the couch and gave me a hug. "Take care, love. You're welcome 'ere anytime." She said.
    I put on my coat and walked out the building and towards a busy plaza with a market across the street a mile or two away. I casually walked around, not going anywhere in particular just letting my legs do the walking. I checked out the market, looked at some beautiful tapestries, some well made charms and hats, and a bit of street food. I saw a sushi joint in the market and got a small pack for Blair. Soon she said she wanted to go around in human form so I lead her to a secluded alley and let her change.
    We spent a good two or three hours just enjoying ourselves with the festivities around us. We had a blast, we went on the London Eye, the largest Ferris Wheel in the world, of which I was mildly terrified. There was even a small party down the street with about one or two hundred guests having fun. We somehow got dragged into the party and just started having fun. It appeared to be a party anyone could join, too. Blair even convinced me to dance with her at one point. Now I'm not much of a dancer, so I was tripping and falling over my own feet multiple times, but we both just kept laughing and kept going.
    It was around four in the evening when everything was finished. We both said thanks to the people at the party and were about to head off to a restaurant or something when both she and I felt a strong presence close by. Not an evil presence, just a strong one. We both looked around us and Blair pointed to my left to a woman, probably mid 30s max, with long black hair, grey eyes and wearing a white T-shirt with a black coat and a long, brown skirt.
    Once we noticed her, she didn't say a word while she casually walked up to us, clearly aware the we felt her presence. Once she was about three feet away from us and spoke. "Zach. There you are. I was wondering where you were."
I was instantly on my guard and put a hand on the hilt of my sword. She seemed to notice and chuckled lightly, "There is no need for any violence. Come, let us talk over a nice cup of tea," she said, gesturing to a table outside a nearby café. Cautiously we all sat down with Blair, now as a cat, on my shoulder and the woman sitting on the opposite side of the small, round table. The waiter brought out a cup of tea, a small cup of cream, and a cup of coffee. She got the coffee, Blair got the cream, and I got the tea. I didn't even order yet and they brought out what I wanted. Before the accident I hated tea and coffee to the point I would never drink them if my life depended on it. Now though, I rather enjoy a nice cup of tea.
"Now, lets get down to business, shall we?" Said the woman as she took a sip of her drink. Blair jumped on the table and started to lap up her cream. "Now, I need a favor-" she started before I held up a hand, interrupting.
"Hold up. First of all, I don't even know who you are. Second, why would I do a favor for a woman I don't even know? As far as I know, you could be a dangerous person from another country." I say, my voice firm and filled with caution.
"Oh I believe you would know who I am if you figured it out. Then again, you mortals have been known to be hard headed." She said with superiority in her voice.
"Mortals?" Both Blair and I ask. I start to put the pieces together almost immediately. "You're a god, aren't you? And by the looks of it one that knows a lot about the mortal world."
She claps a couple times, "well done. You put the puzzle together. I am the Goddess of Wisdom and war strategy. But you may call me Athena."