Perks of Being a Zeta

Dozens of young men filtered out of the house. They emerged from the oak doors like a torrent of water, breaking around the large white pillars and cascading down the steps to once again form an orderly group as they approached the sidewalk. Nick’s stomach soured at the sight of so many young men who looked exactly like him. He found it difficult not to be cynical while being paraded around like a piece of meat. As the last dregs came out of the Zeta Rho house, the current fraternity members sealed the door behind them, disappearing back into the bowels of the fraternity house to smoke and drink before the next herd of prospects charged through the door. Nick cleared off a bit of the sidewalk and sat down as a few of the others in his group did the same.

The late summer sun bore down on them, sapping whatever energy they had left. For three days, Nick and the hundreds of other Greek prospects had gone from house to house as part of fraternity rush. The idea of being in a fraternity had not appealed to Nick at all, but the culture around Greek life sucked him in. His roommate, Luther, who made his way up through the crowd to sit down beside Nick, contributed heavily to roping Nick in to the entire circus. From the day they moved in together, Luther had droned on and on about becoming a Zeta. As part of this destiny, he’d brought Nick to as many pre-rush parties as Nick would agree to attend. Through it all, Nick stuck out like a sore thumb.

“What’d you think of the last house?” Luther asked as he settled down beside Nick. Unlike the majority of the prospects, Luther maintained his enthusiasm about the process. “They had a lot of great guys. I met their rush chair for a minute, but he kind of grated on my nerves. How about you? Did you talk to anyone in particular?”

Nick knocked a pebble back and forth between his feet. “No. I went downstairs.”

“Aw, come on, Nick. We talked about this. How are you going to know how to rank places if you don’t talk with the brothers.”

“I talked with a few, but then I wanted a drink of water. Besides, I don’t think those guys are my speed. That video they showed had a guy taking shots off of a very low priced stripper. Not exactly what I’m in to.”

“What do you mean? Do you not want to do body shots with a stripper?”

“I don’t like to drink out of a dirty glass, let alone a communal stripper.”

“That’s…a fair point. Well, Zeta is up next. You’ll have plenty of guys to talk to here. They’re going to take me into the legacy room. Mark already texted me. You need to find Max or Tommy and talk to them for a while. They have big voting blocs behind them, and they tend not to seek out people to talk to either. They’ve already said they like you.”

Their Rho Chi meandered past them, announcing that the next round would start in five minutes. Nick was fairly certain that the rush councilor position prohibited smoking, but that did not seem to stop any of them. While the prospects spent their time chatting with the fraternity members, the Rho Chis would float through the house looking for rule violations while looking absolutely ridiculous. Half of the prospects thought this came from the fraternities selecting their worst members for the jobs while the other half believed the Rho Chis were intentionally parading around like fools in an effort to throw people off the scent of which house they came from. Nick thought they looked like the only people enjoying any part of the process. Their neon yellow shirts let them stand out in the sea of polos and khaki shorts, but the floppy sun hats and the over sized women’s sunglasses took things to an absurd level. Nick pictured himself as one of that happy few easily, but fitting in with any of the other houses seemed impossible.

Nick eyed the anxious group of young men around him. Up ahead, in front of the next house, another group of about eighty waited. Around the corner and down fraternity row, similar sized groups did their best to avoid the sun. The Inter-Fraternity Council announced the largest rush class yet during the opening ceremonies. Over eleven hundred young men would go through the meat grinder to find their home for the next four years. At each house, the lines would form and every prospect would shake the hand of every brother. For the members, that meant over eleven hundred handshakes in the first three days. For the prospects, who faced the full membership of fourteen fraternities, it meant four thousand handshakes. After the unending line of handshakes, the prospects herded into a common area where the fraternity told them about their chapter, what they do for fun, and what they expect of pledges. This usually was accompanied by a video or some sort of poorly produced skit. The remaining time per round was devoted to members speaking with prospects in an effort to create a bond and determine whether the two fit together. In fourteen thirty-minute sessions over three days, eleven hundred young men were meant to choose a group of strangers with which to become life mates for the subsequent four years. Nick assumed the process had many similarities to speed dating. He imagined both to be equally depressing and frustrating. At the end of each day, the other prospects talked happily about their experiences and how much various houses appealed to them. Nick went to bed early, nursing his sore hand and aching body.

Luther clapped him on the shoulder, “Let’s get in line. Last house!” He pulled Nick to his feet. “Hey man, in case we come out at different times, good luck with your rankings. You’re going to put Zeta as at least second right? I mean, you don’t have to, but it would be cool if we pledged the same house. I’m putting it down as my top pick, of course. I don’t think I could do another even if I wanted to. Still, I don’t have to pick it right. Just have to get the bid. That’s what my dad said any way. He says no one has ever turned down a Zeta bid though.”

“You’ve said that.”

“Sorry, just nervous. Excited. Not nervous. Maybe both.”

The Rho Chi started blowing a whistle and the long column of young men lurched forward. They plodded down the walkway towards the Zeta House as the doors opened and the members stepped out with broad smiles on their faces.

Nick had never seen the full membership of the Zeta Rho house all in one place. Luther went ahead of him, moving down the line as if greeting old friends. Nick tried to mimic his roommate’s enthusiasm, but hoped he at least managed to suppress his fatigue. As he shook hand after hand, silently cursing any of the guys who thought it was a test of strength, he counted. Fifty two. Not the smallest, but a far cry from the largest. Nick wondered if some of the members had already left for the day or were occupied elsewhere, but none of the Zetas he had met were missing. The other small fraternities took great pains to bulk their numbers and not look anemic compared to the juggernaut houses which boasted more than three hundred members. The size of the fraternity determined many facets of their social calendars. A larger fraternity had more funding and organized more swaps with sororities. The biggest one would have sorority mixers, inviting two or three of the female Greek organizations in pursuit of a one to one ratio for their members. Boiled down, this was an advertisement of opportunities for sex. The smaller fraternities usually compensated by being more eclectic or advertising a better ratio with fewer parties. Though it worked for some, Nick quickly realized that the majority of his fellow prospects saw more value in throwing the net multiple times than throwing one specialized net fewer times.

As the prospects gathered in the small dining room of the Zeta house, outnumbering the house members almost two to one, Nick wondered how such a small group could command such respect around campus. This fraternity was the elite of the elite, but they did not have a reputation for being particularly rich or particularly exclusive. The interior of the house, which Nick had seen many times over the last few months, seemed more functional than frilly. Certain upstairs rooms had the honor of nice furniture, but the majority of the house had a rustic minimalism to it. Though it made perfect sense when the room was crowded with drinking patrons and music, it seemed very sterile and empty as the prospects watched the Zeta rush chair, Mark, move to the center of the room for a speech.

“Welcome to the Zeta House guys. I know we’re all tired. It’s been a long three days, and you’re probably all ready to go enter your rankings and head out to the prospect party tonight. If it’s any consolation to you, we have a long night ourselves deciding who we’re going to be issuing bids to this year. We hope that some of you will be on our short list, and we hope that we will be on some of yours. Let me tell you a little about the brothers here. Other houses are all flash no substance. We take the word fraternity very serious here. If you look around the edges of the room, you’ll see that several of our alumni have come out to take part in the festivities. We are all important to one another here. Our primary goal is to create a real family.”

Nick watched as more and more of the prospects tuned out. The last house on the last day took every ounce of energy even to get through the handshake line. Mark’s speech certainly failed to light a fire under everyone. Every other house started off with screaming and yelling and as much nudity as they could get in to a five minute video about the fraternity. The Zeta’s somber tone caught everyone off guard and put off most of the group immediately. Nick looked over to Luther whose face looked like his puppy had been stomped on.

Mark continued, “Zeta Rho is the oldest house on campus and the oldest charter in the region. We have been a strong presence on campus without interrupt since 1842. Our brotherhood stresses a commitment to academics and extracurriculars that you will not find at other houses. We operate on a program we call the Dignified Brother Initiative. Ask some of the guys about it and what it’s done for them. Even if you have no interest in our house, we still want to get to know you. Our ongoing relationships with other fraternities are based on our rush week conversations. Even if you’re not our brothers, we still want to be your friends. With that in mind, we want to get the chance to talk with everyone. Again, welcome to the Zeta House.”

Those who were still paying attention shared Nick’s shock at the mundane speech. Mark’s introduction resembled a midday corporate meeting more than a raucous fraternity pep talk. The rush chairman clapped his hands together, and the brothers started to disperse into the tightly packed group of prospects. Nick watched as one of the older men put his arm around Luther and discreetly guided him out of sight. A few other prospects were zeroed in on by the fraternity members. Nick had seen this happen at a few other houses. The highly sought after prospects received the lion’s share of the attention. Nick did not know what made any one guy desirable to a fraternity, but the Zetas continued their peculiar behavior by targeting people the other fraternities had effectively ignored. He knew this to be the case because Mark walked right up to him and extended his hand once more. Nick shook it, reluctantly.

“Hey Nick. Wanna come upstairs and talk for a minute?” the rush chair asked. Nick nodded, and they quickly moved out of the fray. A few others Nick recognized grabbed other prospects and ushered them upstairs. None of the selected few had been among Luther’s cadre of Zeta fanboys. The remainder of his prospect group milled about awkwardly in the dining room, circled by a loose contingent of the Zetas who were making polite conversation with some of the more eager prospects. As Nick ascended the stairs, it became clear that the Zetas positioned themselves to keep anyone from wandering off. They passed a Rho Chi on their way upstairs. Nick knew separating prospects for intense rushing violated the rules and expected the Rho Chi to say something. Instead, the councilor, who had temporarily abandoned his novelty glasses, and Mark joked for a moment before the Rho Chi wandered off to the water table. Mark continued up the staircase, and Nick nervously followed.

“This is the chapter room,” Mark said, opening a large oak door in the upstairs great room. Inside was an open space with large comfortable chairs circling the room. At the back, several long benches had been stacked behind a wide oak table. Along the walls, old portraits of young men smiled at Nick. Other regalia and colors adorned the walls and, as they approached the table, Nick saw a large crest had been etched into both the table top and the floor of the room. “The floor was done by the class of ‘63. They bought the lumber from a local railroad that went out of business. Then they sanded it down and had one of the brothers etch the crest into it before they put the finish on. We’re thinking about having it touched up next year. What do you think?”

“It’s…nice.”

“Wondering why I pulled you up here, right?”

“Yeah. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like you guys, but I’m still not sure this is my sort of thing.”

Mark nodded. “We’re hoping we can convince you otherwise. Have a seat.” They moved over to a pair of chairs. Another of the Zetas entered the chapter room and sat on the other side with his chosen prospect. The other young man looked as confused and bewildered as Nick assumed he did. “You’ve probably guessed by now that this whole week is more about shoring up numbers for the big frats, right? I don’t know, it’s hard to remember what it’s like from your perspective. How much do you think someone can learn about people in an hour? That’s why we do pre-rush parties and research.”

“Research?”

“Yeah. It’s easy nowadays. Facebook is a god send for rush chairs like me. We like to have a good idea of who we’re dealing with. Then the guys talked with you. To be honest, you’ve been rubber stamped all the way to this point. Now we’re here to convince you that Zeta is right for you. I mean all that stuff I said down there. If you’re looking for a party frat, this isn’t the place for you. We have our share of fun, but it’s not Animal House. And I should say, pledging is the first step on a long process.”

Nick squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. Across the room, the other prospect seemed to be in the same turmoil. “What about Luther? He’s done nothing but talk about joining Zeta since I met him? That seems like the kind of guy that you’d want. He’s ready to cut his arm off for you guys.”

Mark sighed. “Luther. I like him. He’s a nice guy, but he’s not a Zeta. His dad called us this summer and let us know his son was going to rush. It’s complicated when this happens, but his dad shot him down immediately.”

“Oh fuck.”

“He’s finding out now. The things he wants out of a fraternity don’t fit with the things we are as a fraternity. That may seem awkward since he’s your roommate, but that will work out too. Besides, if you decide to join Zeta, you’ll move in here at the start of next semester. So, tell me what you need to hear. What do you want to know about us?”

Nick thought for a while. Mark waited patiently beside him, drumming his thumbs on his waist. Finally, Nick asked, “How are you so different? The other fraternities all acted the same. Loud, obnoxious…kind of what I expected. Thought you guys would do the same.”

“That Dignified Brother Initiative thing isn’t some scam. We actually follow that. Universities started up around the idea that a man should be well rounded. Zeta is an extension of that idea. We take classes together. We do group projects together like this floor. In the summers, we go on trips together. We have a member in charge of orchestrating all this stuff. Shit, we go and see plays together one night and then have a Smash tournament the night after that. Not every guy likes every thing, but we all participate somehow. We call them brotherhood events.”

“What about sorority swap parties and stuff?”

“Do you think any of those guys out there wanted to have swaps before the fraternities started to tell them such a thing existed? Swaps are middle school parties where alcohol is slightly more acceptable. It’s bizarre, like a big singles event. If you’re worried about meeting women, you’ve been to our house parties, has that seemed like a problem?” Nick shook his head. Though he hadn’t spoken to any of them, he’d been happy to watch the gorgeous women come and go from the Zeta’s parties. He knew if the collection of Zeta girlfriends had lined up to greet all the prospects, the would have had to beat away the guys desperate for a bid. The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. “Alright, what does your gut say? Do you want to be a Zeta Rho?”

The response hit him instantly. “Yes.” It made sense. Mark was genuine and convincing. The brothers all exuded a strange confidence that Nick had written off as not for him. All his life, Nick had allowed the attention to be for everyone else. Luther had lapped it up while Nick had sat with the other Zetas and joked and had fun. He’d been part of their circle for a month without knowing it.

Mark slapped him on the back. “Good man. Knew you’d come around. Let’s go make it official.” Mark went over to a shelf behind the chapter table and retrieved a large book. He dropped it on the table and started turning the pages, revealing a long list of names. “You’ll need to rank us first in your choices. Then you’ll get a bid delivered to your door room. It’s a whole show for the other houses, but for our guys, come to the house any time on Saturday. We have something special that night.” He reached the first blank page and stopped. Taking a pen from his pocket, he offered it to Nick. “You have opportunities to quit in the future if you don’t like what you wind up in. That’s happened once or twice over the years. But for right now, I have to ask, are you sure you want to pledge Zeta Rho?” Nick nodded. “You have to say it. Then sign your name.”

Nick took the pen. “I am sure I want to pledge Zeta Rho.” His fingers tingled slightly as he put the pen to the page and scrawled his name. As he finished, he felt a great relief wash over him.

“Awesome!” Mark took back the pen and slid the book away. “One other thing. Tonight, we’re prohibited from mingling with any of the prospects so that we don’t sway you one way or the other. Again, mostly a show for the other frats. Instead, take this.” Mark handed him a thin, teal coin which had the fraternity crest on one side, on the other the image of a woman and the words “A Thing of Beauty.”

“What’s this for?”

“Do you know Omega Chi house? Ox House? They’re a sorority, but they do open bidding and stay pretty out of sight most of the time. They’re like our sister sorority. Lot of their members come to our parties so you’ve probably met a few of them and not known it. They’re having a party tonight. Take the coin, and they’ll let you in. You can see some of your pledge brothers there. They’ll have coins like yours.”

Nick flipped the coin. It made a pleasing metal ring.

Nick left the Zeta house feeling better than he had in days. Rush had been a source of worry and dread for months, and in a ten minute conversation at the very end, all of it lifted away. The other prospects wandered toward the Greek Life building, each of them visibly distraught with choice. Nick pitied them on some level. Though he had not wrestled with a choice of which fraternity, he had struggled with whether or not he should join at all. He had expected doubt in his decision either way, but he felt more sure of his choice than any other before it. As he approached the building where every prospect would come to rank their choices, he found more and more of the rushees standing around in contemplation. Some huddled in groups hashing out their choices as a team while others stood alone staring at a list of notes they’d made over the week. Nick walked through all of them and straight into the office where a bank of computers waited. After some instructions from a Rho Chi, he entered his student ID and saw the list of fraternities appear on screen before him. He was to rank them by preference. He put a 1 beside Zeta and then scrolled back to the top to put an “X” in for all the others.

The Rho Chi grabbed his shoulder, “Hang on. You’re blanket banning everything but Zeta? That’s…look, we recommend you rank them, just in case. Sometimes people think they have a solid yes from one house and find out that they don’t get a bid. You want to have a fall back option.”

Nick looked back in bewilderment. “No, I don’t.” He hit the submit button, thanked the Rho Chi for his help, and strode out of the office.

The walk across campus went by quickly. Along the way, Nick held the coin in his palm, turning it over in between his fingers occasionally. An hour earlier, he had been fantasizing about going to bed early, but the idea of an exclusive party at the Ox house where he could meet his fellow pledges excited him. He reached his dorm and headed up to his room. On the elevator ride, he considered what he should say to Luther. Nick hoped his roommate wouldn’t take the rejection too hard and instead focus on some of the other houses that had shown interest. Nick realized quickly that he only knew of the other houses from Luther’s descriptions. He’d not watched his roommate interact with any of the other fraternities, and it was possible they’d all panned him as well. Luther had kept it no secret that he would rather drop out than be accepted into one of the lower tier fraternities. Dreading some confrontation, Nick opened the door to his room.

Luther looked up as his friend entered the room. Their things had not been thrown about in a fit of rage, and Luther’s eyes were not red from tears. Instead, the other young man held a coin in his hand. Nick recognized it immediately as identical to his own, but instead of the light teal color, it was pink. “Hey man, how’d it go?”

Nick moved over to his own bed and sat down. “Fine. I think I’m going to pledge Zeta.”

Luther nodded, his lips pressed together in a tight smile. “They told me they were offering you a bid.”

“I’m…sorry? Shit man, I don’t know what to say here.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

The pair sat in silence for a while. Luther started to turn his coin over in his hand. “You got one of those too?” Nick held his up. “Are you going to go?”

Luther straightened up slightly, holding his coin in the palm of his hand. “My dad started telling me stories about Zeta when I was in middle school. We’d come up here, and he’d visit the house. They’d welcome him in like a long lost relative. So many of the people I call uncle were members. They’ve known me since I was born. They’re the ones that handed me this coin today.” His voice cracked slightly. “I called my dad. He said no matter what I choose, he’d still..respect me. My mom…my mom — Fuck it, right? Life doesn’t always turn out the way you think.” He went silent.

“You ok man?”

“Sorry. They said you wouldn’t understand it. Not yet anyway. Guess I still get to keep one of their secrets a little longer.” He looked at the teal coin. “You’re a good guy, Nick. Good friend. We’ve been here two months, and I think you’re the only guy I’ve actually become friends with. Let’s uh, go to this party. One more crazy night before we pledge. How about it?”

Nick doubted he was concealing his worry very well. “Yeah. I’ll go shower and change.”

“Me too,” Luther replied.

Nick had no idea where the Omega Chi house was. Luther, on the other hand, plodded across campus with the grim determination of a soldier returning to the front lines. Sorority Row stretched across two blocks on the opposite side of campus from Fraternity Row, explicitly for moral reasons in the early days of sororities. While the fraternities had longer histories and more storied houses, the sorority houses were centers of women’s power on campus. The sorority rush was twice the size of the fraternity version. Seventeen houses, which looked more like centers of State, jostled against one another in a sprawl of splendor. Each house commanded a contingent of hundreds of young women, their purpose honed and focused by executive councils. The structure of indoctrination and manpower unnerved anyone on the inside looking out, but their community efforts rendered the whole bloated system benign. In exchange for funneling millions of dollars into charities, the sorority girls reigned like princesses. This story was visible in the edifice of each house as the two young men passed them by, but none of it applied to the final house on the block.

The Omega Chi building looked as old as any other building on campus. It was not dilapidated or shabby, but maintained an air of seniority over all the others with its aged brick and stately columns. At the same time, Nick didn’t remember ever seeing it before. Set back behind a small copse of old oaks, the house could easily be looked over as the eye wandered to the architectural feats of the other sororities.

Different colored lights glowed behind the windows, and a low throb of music permeated the air as Nick and Luther approached. A dour looking security guard sat on a stool outside the door. He glared at them as they approached. “What you want?” Nick immediately thought they should leave, but Luther held up a his coin and nudged Nick who did the same. The security guard took one and then the other. He held up his light as he inspected the small tokens, turning them over in his palm. Nick expected him to bite them like he’d seen in old cartoons. He handed Nick’s back first and then returned Luther’s, lingering for a moment with the light on Luther’s face. “Go on in. They tell you where to go.” He moved aside, and the two of them made their way into the house.

Once the door opened, the music overwhelmed them. The hallway glowed a slight blue as black lights flickered overhead. It seemed nothing like a sorority house and everything like a night club. As Nick’s eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, he saw dozens of young women lounging around, their skimpy outfits glowing under the black fluorescent. They all had drinks in their hands and were embroiled in excited conversation with each other. He recognized a few faces, including the one who got up and ran over to meet them. Lacey was one of the first girls he had met at a Zeta rush party. She smiled broadly as she walked up to them. “Hi guys! Let’s see your coins!” She shouted over the music, but they understood her well enough to offer up the coins. Lacey had on a tight white tank top which lit up her face with eerie light. Around her eyes, pink make up shimmered as she looked at the two coins in her hand. “Wow.” She leaned over and gave Luther a kiss on the cheek, her eyes glowing with mischief and a strange sympathy. Nick assumed she understood the token meant Luther had been denied a bid. She took Luther by the hand and led him away to where another girl stood idle. She handed over the coin and left Luther standing with the stranger as they lapsed into conversation. Lacey returned to Nick with a bright, glowing smile. “Come with me!”

She took him by the hand and led him down the hallway. He saw a few other guys standing around awkwardly while the beautiful girls talked to them or at them. Most of the guys had the same blank looks on their faces as Luther. Each of them had a pink coin radiating its eerie light. Nick looked around for any recognizable Zeta, but saw none. Lacey turned the corner through a swinging door and into a long hallway lined with doors on either side. She turned and handed Nick back his coin, then kissed him on the cheek. She started to walk away. “Wait, hang on. What now?”

“The coin silly.” She disappeared back through the door and into the roaring party.

He looked down at the small coin. The blue paint had peeled away until only a number remained. 7. Nick looked down the hallway and saw numbers on the doors. Curious, he walked until he reached the door with a seven nailed to the outside of it. He knocked and the door opened. Nick gasped. The young woman on the other side of the door smiled at him. She was wearing a see through teddy and a lacy black thong. Her skin glowed with the reflection of the warm light coming from inside the room. The smell of cherries and cream wafted out from behind her. Ruby red lips parted around her smile and bright green eyes peered at him with hunger. “You must be Nick,” she said. “I’m Mandi.” She paused long enough to shift her stance, allowing the light to fall differently across her chest and show off her impressive breasts. Nick could feel his mouth going dry. “Want to come inside?”

Nick’s mind raced. Each thought fumbled over itself as he tried to process how he’d wound up in this position. Mandi took his hand and pulled him into the room with her, closing the door behind them. Nick listened carefully for the lock, but didn’t hear it. His eyes tried to process the room quickly. It was larger than expected, other than that it looked exactly as he would have expected a college girl’s room to look. The only peculiar thing was the full sized bed in the corner of the room. His brain finally caught up as she moved around in front of him, running her hands lightly over his shoulders and down his chest. “How did you know my name? Did they tell you I was coming?”

Mandi started unbuttoning his shirt and he instinctively brought his hands up. After a brief moment, he let her continue. “They did tell us. While you boys are running around deciding which club to join, we sit and decide which girl gets to greet the new Zetas. I had to argue for ten minutes to get you, Nick. I wanted you very bad.” Nick’s voice caught in his throat as her hand moved into his shirt and across his bare chest. “I know you have a lot of questions, but I can’t answer all of them. Tonight isn’t about learning all the little secrets. Tonight is for…releasing all that tension.” Her hand slid down his stomach and into his pants, gripping is hard cock for a tight squeeze. “Would you like to move to the bed?” He could only nod.

She guided him gently over to her bed and pushed him onto his back. He scooted up to the headboard as she crawled on top of him. With a smooth motion, she pulled the teddy up over her head and tossed it aside, letting her breasts completely free. Nick’s eyes went wide. He’d never seen a naked woman in person before, and it paralyzed him. She smiled down at him, grabbed his hand and guided it up to her chest. He groaned as his hand pressed into the soft tissue. Without prompt, his other hand rose up to cup her other breast, massaging the large orbs and flicking his fingers over her nipples. His cock strained against his pants, pushing against her ass as she straddled him. “My god, you’re fucking amazing.”

Mandi leaned in and kissed him, her tongue swirling into his mouth as his hands moved down to her hips. “I do have to tell you one thing. This is because you’re a Zeta now. There is a lot more to all this than you understand. We’re all here for you, to help you understand. To help you become the man you need to be.” She reached down to his pocket and retrieved the coin. Holding it in front of her, she showed him crest. It was glowing as if it had been pressed into the coin by a hot iron. Sliding off of him, she moved her hair to the side and showed Nick a tattoo at the top of her spine. The tattoo burned with the same yellow glow as the coin and Nick made out the same designed of the Zeta emblem. “I know it’s confusing, but they’ll explain everything tomorrow night. There, the business is out of the way. Now for the fun.”

Nick’s mind raced with questions. How are they doing that with the coin? Some kind of glowing paint? Why was a woman waiting to fuck him me at all? Luther never told me anything about all this? Jesus, what’s happening to Luther if this is happening to me?

Mandi noticed the look of confusion on his face as she finished pulling off his pants. His cock strained against his boxers, betraying his distraught mind. “What’s the matter sweetie?”

“Sorry, this is all a little…culty?”

She laughed. “Yeah. It totally is. But hey, look at it like this. I’m a hot piece of ass from what they tell me. And I’m positively dripping wet because I want to fuck you so bad. So let’s ignore all the weird shit for a while and enjoy it. From the look of it, you want to fuck me too right?”

“Oh god yes.”

“Then hush and enjoy it. We’ve only got about eight hours till I have to give you back. I want to see how many times you can make me cum.”

She rose up to her knees and pulled down her thong. Nick took her lead and shimmied out of his boxers, tossing them on the floor as she crawled on top of him again. He drank in her body. She was perfect down to every little detail, as if she’d been cut from a mold. His hands roved over her body, sinking into her flesh wherever he found something soft. He adored the feeling of her hot skin pressing against his as she kissed him. She left a trail of kisses as she crossed his cheek. Hot breath rushed against his ear as she licked and nibbled his earlobe. Her breasts pushed into his chest as he pulled her ass towards him. All the while, he was terribly conscious of how close his cock was to her. It slid against her thigh and brushed against her ass as she moved against him. She moved back and took it into her hand, forcing Nick to concentrate everything he could into not cumming immediately. She stroked his length up and down while looking down at him. “I’m going to put your cock inside of me now. I want you to feel each inch of it as it slides into my pussy. If you cum too soon, you won’t get to feel all of my hot tight pussy wrapped around this cock.”

His eyes rolled back slightly as she moved his cock against the lips of her pussy. He was surprised by how wet it all felt. He’d imagined slipping into a pussy while watching thousands of porn clips, but it was so much more than expected. With a slight feeling of breaking through, his head was inside of her. She kept her promise, sinking down on his length as slowly as she could. Mandi sighed with relief each time she lowered herself another inch. Nick moved to grab her waist and shove her down on his length, a desperate madness taking control of his body, but she grabbed his hands and pinned them over his head, punishing him by pulling up an inch. Her breasts dangled above his lips and he knew of nothing else to do than raise his head up and take the wonderful orb into his mouth, his tongue swirling around her nipple and eliciting a happy grunt from her while she resumed stuffing his cock inside of her. While he licked and sucked at her breast, she slid down the rest of his length until she rested her thighs on his and squeezed his cock with her pussy. Nick whimpered in pleasure, his balls pulling up tightly against him. “I’m going to ride you now. I’m going to bounce my ass up and down on your cock until your hot cum is spewing inside of me.” She started moving her hips, sliding up and down on his length quickly while still holding him down. “After you cum, I’m going to suck your cock clean and keep sucking until it’s hard again so that you can turn me around and fuck me doggy style.”

Nick grunted, his pending orgasm finally giving him enough strength to wrench free of her grip. His hands grabbed her hips, forcing her back and forth faster and faster until his cock erupted. He felt her body clench against him and she whined in pleasure as her own orgasm crashed over her. More and more of his cum spurted inside of her and his heart pounded in his chest. His eyes clenched tightly as the pleasure overwhelmed him. After what seemed like an eternity, his cock stopped spasming and her pussy loosened around his softening member. He opened his eyes as she leaned down to kiss him. The long kiss ended as she moved down to his neck, licking and kissing her way down his body. She stopped to nibble at his nipple, causing him to feel a new thrill of excitement he didn’t expect. His stomach heaved as she kissed his naval and his cock twitched as he felt her warm breath. Before he could object, Mandi took his soft cock into her mouth, her tongue massaging the underside of his cock. To his own surprise, he felt himself getting hard again almost immediately. Looking down, he made eye contact with her as she smiled around the hardening cock in her mouth.

Being a Zeta is fucking awesome.

Nick woke early the next morning. Mandi’s arm draped over him, and her soft body pressed against his. They’d spent hours together until collapsing into a dreamless sleep. Nick found it difficult not to profess his love for the beautiful girl, especially as he looked at her sleeping beside him. Glancing at a clock on her desk, he noted the time. 6:45. He didn’t feel tired or lethargic. In fact, he felt like waking Mandi up for another quick fuck before leaving. As he stirred, the girl’s eyes fluttered open. “What time is it? Oh, crap. You’ve got to go!” She slid off the bed, scurrying around the room to gather his clothes. Nick watched her, his cock hardening as her ass bounced around the room. He looked at his cock and thought something was different. He took it in his hand. Is it…bigger? Mandi tossed him his boxers. “Sorry. I’d love to give you one last ride, but if they catch one of the prospects leaving after 7 we’ll all be in hot water. Get dressed.”

Begrudgingly, Nick followed her instructions. It became easier after she put on a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants. Once they both were dressed, she led him down the hallway and through the front of the house. Nick expected to see the disaster of an after party like he’d seen a few times at the fraternity houses, but instead the entire front of the house looked as if nothing had happened at all. At the door, he turned around to say good bye. “So, will I see you again?”

“Of course. You’re a Zeta now. Or almost. Your whole world is going to change.”

“What does —”

She cut him off with a kiss on the cheek. “Go back to your dorm. Rest up. Big night ahead of you.”

With that, she closed the door in his face. For a moment, Nick felt that all the light in his life had vanished. The feeling passed as he reflected on the previous night and he walked away, confident it would happen again.

The walk to his dorm passed quickly as he daydreamed about the feeling of Mandi in his arms. Nagging thoughts tugged at his dream, pulling it back down to reality. He didn’t know anything about her. She evidently made some arrangement with the Zetas to screw their prospective members. The glowing tattoo freaked him out more than he cared to admit. Remembering the coin, he searched his pockets for the unusual token, but found nothing. Mandi must have kept it. As he neared his temporary home, he felt the urge to tell someone about his experiences. Then he wondered who would believe him. He didn’t think of Luther until he walked into their dorm room.

Luther was asleep in his bed, but stirred when the door opened. As he sat up in bed, Nick assumed he’d staggered home drunk and passed out. Luther never slept without an undershirt, but he was bare chested in bed. Further, Nick noticed that his friend’s normally hairy chest was smooth. “Nick, that you?” Luther asked through sleepy eyes.

“Of course.” Nick kicked off his shoes and started to change into more comfortable clothes. “What happened to you last night?”

Luther collapsed back into his bed. “Got drunk.”

Nick started to reply, but realized Luther had already fallen back to sleep. He grabbed his laptop and went to his bed, intending to browse the Internet or watch a movie. As soon as his head touched the pillow, he was overwhelmed with fatigue. In minutes, he was asleep.

They both woke up to the sound of a knock on the door. Two envelops slid in from the outside. They were plain other than the names lettered on the front in some computer printed calligraphy. Luther swung out of bed and picked them up, handing Nick one and keeping the other. Neither of them opened the envelopes immediately. Luther went to the small fridge and retrieved a bottle of water. He drained half the contents before sitting down. He picked up the envelope and opened it, pulling out a card. Nick couldn’t see it fully, but caught a glimpse of a crest not too different from the Zeta version. Luther nodded grimly and tossed the card aside. “Gonna open yours?”

Nick opened his bid. He pulled a similar card from the envelope, bearing a rendition of the Zeta crest. The envelope also contained a small slip of paper which read, “Arrive at the Zeta house by seven. Wear a suit.”

Luther didn’t wait for Nick to talk about the bid or ask any questions. “Want to get some lunch? Tired of thinking about all this crap.”

Nick agreed, and the two of them headed out of the dorm. The halls were filled with other prospects fervently discussing their bids, but once they left campus it all seemed like a distant thought, as though they’d left the world entirely. Luther and Nick spent the afternoon off campus, first having lunch and then browsing a few local clothing stores. Neither of them brought up the idea of Greek life and after the first hour, it rarely crossed their mind anyway. A few times, Nick found Luther staring off into the distance. At one of the shops, Luther spent a while in the women’s section looking through the clothes as if they were alien artifacts. Nick thought he should tell his friend about what had happened to him at the Omega house, but he had a feeling Luther already knew. It also felt like he would be rubbing it in, somehow, so Nick kept his thoughts to himself. Around six, they went back to campus. They both showered, but Nick finished first and curiosity took hold of him once again. He took a peek at Luther’s bid card. The crest looked almost exactly like the Zeta crest, but reversed, as if were being held to a mirror.

Nick finished getting dressed as Luther returned from the showers. They said a quick goodbye, and Nick left for the Zeta house.

The Zeta house, unlike all the others on fraternity row, had no sign of revelry or celebration. For the first time, Nick somewhat doubted his choice. Other fraternities greeted their new members with bid day jerseys and beer as they ran into the houses. Girls in bikinis lounged on the porches while music blared all around them. Through all this, Nick walked solemnly towards the Zeta house, choking from the heat in his suit. Mark greeted him at the door and directed him upstairs to the chapter room. The benches had been returned to their normal position and several other new pledges waited nervously. Nick took a seat and sat in silence with the rest of them.

Shortly after seven, the chapter members filed into the room making it suddenly very cramped. At the head of the troop was an older member Nick did not recognize. He carried the book Nick had signed and dropped it on the table in front of him. Two others flanked him, Mark and a guy Nick recognized as the chapter president. The older member spoke, “Welcome. Brothers, before you we have assembled the one hundred and seventy-fifth pledge class of the Psi Chapter of Zeta Rho. These are their names, stand when you are called.” The roll began, and Nick stood up when his name was announced. “Here they are assembled, having signed their names in the First Book. Brother of Zeta Rho, do you accept these young men who come in good faith to join us?” The room resounded with a strong yes from all of the gathered members. Nick’s skin prickled. “So mote it be. Pledges, having signed the Book, you must now take the vow. Repeat after me: I solemnly swear to hold true to the principles of Zeta Rho, to keep the secrets of the brotherhood, and to strive always to glorify the brotherhood in any way I am able.” The room echoed with monotone voices repeating back the oath. Nick fumbled out the words as well, surprised at how easily he was being drawn into the ritual. “You may be seated.”

As a group, the whole room shuffled into their seats. The older member remained standing. “I will now read the tale of the serpent. Once, in the early days of this country. Two hunters made their way into the wilderness. Shortly into their journey, a storm disoriented them and they lost their way. For three days and three nights, they searched for a path back to their homes, but could find nothing. The forest deceived them, and the stars hid from their gaze. On the fourth day, the elder of the two hunters stepped into a clearing and found a great serpent. It named itself Nagreth of the Glen. Bewildered, the hunter struck out at the great serpent. Nagreth defended himself and lashed out at the hunter, puncturing the man’s chest cleanly with great fangs. The commotion drew the attention of the younger hunter who ran to the side of his fallen comrade and wept for the loss of his only friend, a man he considered his brother. Nagreth saw the young human’s dismay and felt remorse for his hasty action. The man posed little threat to the great serpent, and Nagreth was consumed by the younger man’s grief. Nagreth told the man of a spell to transfer life. Nagreth’s race lived a single minute for every thousand days of a human life. Inspired by the bond of the two men, the serpent offered his life to the dying man. The men accepted, and Nagreth taught the younger man the spell. Nagreth marked the dying man with a special symbol the great serpent also bore on one of its scales. By the following morning, the elder hunter was healed. In gratitude for his sacrifice, the hunters lived the remainder of their lives in the forest, serving the great serpent.”

The elder member stopped reading and looked out at the pledges. “These pins are a symbol of the mark used by Nagreth. Wear them with pride.” As he spoke, other members moved through the rows, pinning a small button to the lapel of the gathered pledges. Once that was done, the elder continued, “Now then, after last night you’ve probably all been wondering about some of the stranger things going on with Zeta Rho. More strange things will happen tonight and on into the future of your relationship with this fraternity. We charge you to keep these secrets and never speak outside of the fraternity on any matter that we discuss here. The next step of this ritual involves the sorority of Omega Chi.” The pledges shifted nervously along the bench, all of them clearly having shared Nick’s peculiar experience from the night before. “We have a very special relationship with the sorority and for now you need to know that you may trust any girl or woman with the mark of an Omega Chi as if she were a brother of this fraternity. They are privileged to our secrets for we carry their greatest secret as well. Tomorrow will be a day of explanation and reflection, but tonight is the culmination of your journey into becoming a pledge. It will take a great deal of work and sacrifice before you attain the status of member, but tonight you will enjoy the benefits of our brotherhood. You all had a number last night, and I trust each of you remembers. Go back to the dormitory part of this house and to the room with that same number. You are dismissed.”

For a moment no one moved. The members watched silently, a few of them showing cracks in their serious facades. One pledge rose from the bench and headed towards the dormitory, and all of the others followed. Nick went down a floor, remembering the burning seven on his coin. He didn’t understand why they would repeat the same thing twice, sending him off to meet with Mandi at the Zeta house rather than the Omega, but his heart thumped quickly in his chest at the thought of seeing her again. He reached the door with a seven on it as other pledges arrived at their own doors. A few exchanged nervous looks before knocking. Nick did the same. A voice answered, but not Mandi. Nick opened the door and stepped inside.

Luther stood up from the bed. “Hey.”

Nick didn’t know how to react. “Wait…what’s happening now?”

In response, Luther turned around and showed the back of his neck to his roommate. A tattoo of the Zeta crest glowed at the top of his back, in the same position as Nick saw it on Mandi. Looking more closely this time, Nick realized the crest was reversed like the card Luther had received. “It was a hard decision, but I can’t go through life not being part of something so…amazing. It’ll be weird for a while, but mom says everyone gets used to it. That’s how it worked for her and dad anyway. Should be starting any minute. I actually thought it would happen before you got here. Guess they want you to see it though.”

“Fuck, Luther, what the hell is going on? Why would you get that tattoo? This is all starting to freak me the fuck out.”

“Like I said…weird for a while.” He suddenly doubled over. “It’s starting. Don’t worry. This is supposed to happen.” Luther pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the side. He started to unbutton his jeans, but suddenly dropped to his knees in pain. Nick went to help him, but Luther held up a hand to fend him off. “Just…wait!” Luther hissed.

The mark on the base of his neck glowed brighter and brighter. As it did, Nick realized his friend was changing. Luther’s face softened, and his hair started to grow longer. A fine sheen of sweat developed all over his body as his muscles started to tighten. His back roiled as if his skin would bubble off. Nick stepped back in horror. He wanted to run or get help, but the sight paralyzed him. Luther leaned back, showing his chest to Nick. New flesh rapidly expanded into existence, filling out his chest and softening his abs. Breasts? Nick thought. Holy shit, Luther just grew tits out of thin air. Luther struggled to unbutton his pants as the changes caused his hands to shake. Finally freeing the button, he wriggled them down past his hips as his form widened. The masculine figure disappeared as his hips swelled out into an hourglass shape. Luther managed to roll over and pull his boxers down as his ass expanded outward into a round bubble shape that caused Nick’s cock to stir.

Suddenly aware of how his body was responding, Nick realized that Luther’s change wasn’t only arousing him. Nick’s body changed, too. Heat moved across his body in waves, taking away the small pudgy of fat around his midsection and leaving behind a core of muscle. His suit no longer fit properly, the pants hanging an inch higher and the jacket threatening to rip if he flexed his newly broadened back. He thought back to feeling his cock early that morning and believing it might be bigger. Reaching down into his boxers, he squeezed a cock that had definitely grown.

Luther managed to pull off the last vestiges of his clothing. He was a sight to behold with full, heavy breasts and a big round ass while still having a cock dangling between his feminine thighs. Nick watched as Luther’s dick started to shrivel. Simultaneously, Nick felt his own cock start to swell. It strained against his pants until it was painful. With no other choice, he unbuttoned his suit and let his cock spring free. Luther’s eyes flashed with desire as Nick’s newly engorged cock sprung into view. Nick gripped himself and knew immediately that his cock had gotten not only longer, but thicker. Luther’s, on the other hand, rapidly disappeared. Luther did not seem to mind. His hands were busy exploring his new assets, squeezing his breasts and smacking his ass to see it jiggle. Though they both understood what would happen next, it shocked them both. With a wet pop, Luther’s cock vanished. In its place a pretty, bald pussy appeared. Luther immediately moved a pair of fingers down to the new wet slit and plunged them inside, moaning around the invasion. Luther was gone. In his place, Lucy writhed on the floor, wet and horny.

Lucy composed herself long enough to crawl over to Nick. His newly thick cock bobbed in front of her plush, feminine lips as he looked down at her. This was my friend. My roommate Luther. Now she looks like a cock hungry slut. Lucy took hold of his cock, and he groaned at the feeling of her hot, little hand wrapping around his thick cock. She looked up at him as her lips opened. I shouldn’t… Lucy took the head of his cock into her mouth. Her warm tongue slid around his shaft. Nick’s mind boiled with pleasure as she took more and more of him into her mouth. Mandi had sucked his cock the night before, but this was better. This was Luther as a woman sucking him off. Oh god. That’s what they all are. The whole of Omega Chi. They’re all like Luther is now. The new woman bobbed her head along his cock, happily. Her hand moved up to his balls to squeeze them in time with her tongue massaging the length of his shaft. Before he could stop her, the first rope of cum erupted into her mouth. Lucy hummed happily around his cock as more and more cum gushed from him. She gulped it down while looking up at him. His orgasm subsided, but he remained hard in her mouth.

Lucy spoke, her voice melodious, “Now I want you in my pussy. It’s brand new and so tight. I want you to cum inside me.”

She moved away from him, turning around to present her tight ass to him. Any hope of sanity vanished at the sight of her rump wobbling in front of him. Nick pulled off the rest of his clothes and positioned himself behind the woman who was his former roommate. His cock moved along her wet lips, searching for her entrance while she grunted in excitement. Lucy’s entire body seemed to be electric with pleasure. She sighed and moaned as Nick’s hands touched her ass and groped her new, heavy breasts. His cock wedged in her lips for a moment before sliding into her with surprising ease. She cried out in a mingled pleasure and pain as his thick cock pushed into her depths, taking her new virginity. Nick slid out of her slowly, teasing her by taking away her plaything and holding her in place as she tried to push back against him. Without warning, he slammed into her, and she wriggled in satisfaction. He pulled out slowly again only to slam into her causing the room to echo with the wet thwack of skin against skin. He built up his speed, sliding out slightly quicker while roughly fucking into her from behind. She started to whimper and beg for him to stay inside of her. She urged him to cum, to fill her up with his spunk. Nick took hold of her hips and started to fuck her in earnest, slamming into her ass again and again as he hunched over to squeeze her tits. Her body heaved and writhed up against him, seeming intoxicated by his touch. The emblem on her back glowed more and more brightly as they rutted against one another. It blazed an almost blinding white as Lucy’s body convulsed in orgasm. Nick went with her, blasting his cum into her again and again and again. His cock slipped out of her, spraying another rope down her thigh before he took his cock into his hand to finish jerking off onto her ass.

The two collapsed against one another, Lucy a sticky mess and Nick feeling like he was going insane. “That was fucking amazing.”

“It’s only the beginning.” She stood up, still naked and covered in his cum. Lucy grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. She led him out into the hallway despite his protests about walking out naked. As they moved down the hall, they passed several other open doors. Inside, Nick saw the other pledges with other beautiful women, the emblems glowing on their backs as they rode their partners or sucked their cocks. Lucy moved into the dining room, but it looked nothing like it had the previous day. Instead of sterile tables and hard floors, the room was covered with pillows and couches. All around the room, the members of the fraternity were in various states of undress. With them were the women of Omega Chi, their own emblems glowing as they fucked and sucked whoever was closest. Nick struggled to comprehend it all. “Welcome to Zeta Rho, Nick.” Lucy said. “Now come on, Mandi said she wants you to fuck her in the ass.”