Darkmyth University 2021

Chapter Seventeen

Hephaestus Institute, Greece

When the plane touched down in Greece Quinten told everyone where they were and the plan of that evening before they left the plane and into the awaiting SUV’s. When they arrived at Hephaestus Institute Quinten took Crystal to the room that they would be sharing and said, “You will find a gown in the closet for you.”

“Quinten this is far more than I expected for our first holiday together.”

“I know it is and it would have been lower key had we not needed to give Marissa the location of where we going to spend Thanksgiving we would not be here. You will be fine I promise. I will be right next to you the entire time.”

Crystal nodded in agreement and went into the closet to look at the gown Quinten told her about. The gown was lilac with lilac sequins making an a-symmetrical pattern all over the gown fit and flair gown with one shoulder. When Crystal went back into the room Quinten was gone but let a note on the bed for Crystal. Crystal read:

My angel,

Take the time you need to get ready. I will meet you in the foyer outside of the ball room. If you need me reach out to me and I will be there.

See you soon,

Quinten

Crystal went into the bathroom and took a hot shower enjoying the quiet time she had. After doing her hair and makeup Crystal put on the gown and shoes. Crystal looked at herself in the floor length mirror before leaving the room and finding her way to the foyer.

Brody walked over to Crystal as she entered the foyer and said, “I want to apologize for my behavior on the jet. You mean a lot to Michael, Lucas, and me. You have been a good friend and companion to all of us and our anger toward you was not appropriate. I appreciate that you took the time to speak to us and make us see that it was not just Quinten that was at fault but, us as well for we did not say anything to him.”

“Thank you for coming to speak to me and you are forgiven. Quinten has not had an easy time dealing with Stephanie’s disappearance and arranging his schedule to include me. Quinten did not realize that he was losing all of you while he spent all his time with me. I hope that in time you all can forgive him as well.”

“We are well on our way to forgiving him. We all just need some time to digest the information that you gave us. We will be more forthcoming in the future with Quinten if he slips up.”

“I am glad to hear that.”

“I will see you inside Crystal. Thank you again for all that you have done for us.”

Crystal nodded in understanding as Quinten entered the foyer. Quinten froze in the hallway taking in Crystal. Crystal looked stunning in the gown and Quinten loved the fact that her mark was on display for all to see. Quinten said softly approaching Crystal, “You, my princess, look amazing.”

“You look handsome as well.” Crystal said as she turned to look at Quinten. “Where did you get ready for this evening? Was there a reason that you could not get ready in our room?”

“I got ready with Brody, Michael, and Lucas. My mother wanted me to be surprised. My mother outdid herself with your gown selection.”

“It is exactly the type of gown I would have chosen for myself. I need to thank your mother when I see her.”

“There is no need for that Crystal,” Vanessa said gracefully walking into the foyer where Crystal and Quinten were talking.

Quinten took Crystal’s hand in his and said, “May I present my mother, Queen Vanessa.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.” Crystal says as she curtsies.

“Again, there is no need for the formality Crystal and please call me Vanessa. You are now a part of our family, and we would like you to treat us that way. Quinten has been talking about you non-stop. It is so nice to finally meet you.” Vanessa continued with a soft smile, “My husband should be here momentarily.”

Vanessa was a vision in a claret-colored strapless gown. It was innovative with these black patterns across the massive skirt and bodice. Vanessa’s blonde hair fell in soft ringlets down her back. King Nicholas entered the room with a smile on his face, he took Vanessa into his arms, and said, “Crystal it is so nice to finally meet you.”

Crystal curtsies again and says, “It is nice to meet you both as well.”

King Nicholas chuckles softly and says, “You are very proper but, there really is no need for it. Please call me Nicholas Crystal as you are a part of our family now. We shall continue this conversation inside. You and Quinten will go in first and we will follow.”

Crystal nods in understanding, takes Quinten’s arm, and smiles up at Quinten letting him know that she was ready to enter the ballroom. Quinten guides us over to where Brody, Michael, and Lucas are standing conversing with a man much older than themselves. Quinten says, “Dean Xavier, I would like you to mee Princess Crystal.”

Dean Xavier turns towards Crystal with a smile on his face and says, “It is very nice to meet you, Your Highness.” Dean Xavier motions for a woman to join them when she arrives, he continues, “I would like you to meet my daughter Clarisse. Clarisse you remember Prince Quinten, do you not?” Clarisse nods and Dean Xavier says, “This is Princess Crystal.”

Clarisse bobs a curtsy saying, “We are pleased that you have joined us for your holiday. I hope that we can become good friends Princess Crystal.”

Crystal grips Quinten’s arm not used to all the attention but, something also seems disingenuous with what Clarisse just said. Crystal smiles covering her discomfort and says, “It is nice to meet you as well Clarisse. You and I can do something together after the soiree if you are not busy.”

“That would be great. Would you like me to introduce you to some of my friends?”

“That would be wonderful. If you gentlemen would excuse me.” Crystal said turning her attention to the group. All the gentlemen bow except Quinten who kisses my hand before watching me walk over to a group of women nearby. Before Clarisse and Crystal get to the group Crystal says, “Clarisse please introduce me as Crystal. I am not used to my title yet.”

“As you wish, Crystal. I heard that you just met Quinten.”

“We met about two months ago when school started. Do you have a mate?”

“I am afraid that I have not met my mate yet. I am hopeful though.”

“As you should be,” Crystal says as they join Clarisse’s group of friends. The next thirty minutes pass with everyone getting to know each other, talking about their interests, and how they were finding their school experience.

Quinten was happy to see that Crystal was trying to make friends. Crystal was an amazing and open-hearted woman but, sometimes she was shy and hesitant to get to know new people. Nicholas joined our conversation shortly after Crystal joined Clarisse and her friends. Even though Quinten felt confident in Crystal's abilities and with the training they were going through, still did not put Quinten at ease leaving Crystal alone without guards. Nicholas asked in a whisper, “Has Crystal made some new acquaintances?”

“I believe so father. Clarisse has introduced Crystal to some of her friends. I will join the ladies in a moment so, I know who will be spending time with Crystal.”

“Will you be sending the guards with Crystal this evening?”

“That is my plan since I am unfamiliar with most of the ladies that will be with Crystal. I am not ready to send Crystal out alone without me.”

“I can understand how you feel son however, you may want to take the time to warn Crystal that she will not be alone with her new acquaintances. Have an enjoyable time with your friends but, please try to be in bed before 2 am we have a long day tomorrow. Please also bring Crystal over so that we can get to know her better.”

Quinten nods and watches Nicholas walk back over to Vanessa before he joined Crystal. Quinten pulled Crystal into his arms, pulled Crystal closer to him, and asked in a whisper, “Will you allow me the honor of a dance?”

Crystal nods and says, “Ladies please excuse me. I shall see you all in a little while.” All the ladies' wave as Quinten guided Crystal out onto the dance floor, guides her into a slow dance, and asks, “Do you like Clarisse and her friends?”

“They all seem genuinely nice. I hope to get to know them better later this evening. They would like to have a slumber party Thursday night.” Crystal says with giggle.

“What is so funny about that?”

“I just have not been to a slumber party in an exceptionally long time. They were telling me about all these silly games they play when they have a slumber party. It sounds like fun.”

“Maybe the guys and me should join you,” Quinten says with a wink. “I do have something to discuss with you.”

“What is that my prince?”

“Did you still want to join the sorority this semester?”

“I have not even thought about it. I wanted to join with Stephanie but, all the women that I have met this semester have become good friends of mine as well. I want to wait to do it with Stephanie though.”

“Then I will ask Ursula to move you to the next semester’s pledge group. I do not think that Ursula will mind. I will tell Ursula that Stephanie and you just decided to work on school this semester.”

“Thank you, Quinten I appreciate you taking care of this for me and Stephanie. Is there another reason that you are calling Ursula?”

“To speak with her about the Christmas ball that we are throwing. We will be hosting the ball alongside the University of Cartinag Los Angeles (UCLA), and I need to inform Ursula of that. There will be lots of thing that we need to prepare for.”

“That is a huge undertaking my prince. I will help if you would like me too.”

“Of course, I would love for you to help me with this project, my angel. Come, my parents would like to get to know you better.”

“I am not sure if I am ready for that my prince.”

“You are ready for this encounter. You just need to remember that they are like all parents. Besides, I will be by your side the entire time.” Quinten says cupping Crystal’s cheek. Quinten could tell that Crystal was extremely nervous even after assuring her that he would be beside her. Quinten stopped walking towards his parents, took Crystal’s hand into his, looked directly into Crystal's eyes and said, “You will be fine, my angel. My parents just want to get to know the woman that has stolen their son's heart. Just be yourself.”

“Thank you for trying to make me less nervous but, I will continue to be nervous until I am done speaking with them. I will try to remember that they are just like all parents not the king and queen of the vampire world.”

“They will not act like royalty in front of you, my princess. As they said you are not part of our family.”

Crystal took a deep breath and said, “I am ready now my prince.” Quinten was extremely sweet to try placating my nerves but, right now nothing he said was working. What if Quinten’s parents did not like her? What if Quinten’s parents did not approve of me? Crystal wished that Stephanie was here with her. Crystal wanted nothing more than to go after Stephanie but, Crystal trusted Quinten knew what he was doing. Crystal was also sure that Nicholas had a plan and Crystal was also interested in knowing what his thoughts were on this whole situation. As Crystal and Quinten approached Vanessa and Nicholas Crystal smiled warmly at them.

Vanessa said, “The color of your gown makes your eyes look purple Crystal. It is very becoming.”

“I believe I have you to thank for the wonderful gown choice but, thank you for the compliment. I like your dress as well, Vanessa.”

“Thank you, Crystal. Nicholas was telling me that you have made some new acquaintances this evening.” Vanessa said with a warm smile.

“I did make some new acquaintances. Clarisse introduced me to her friends. We have made plans for tonight and Thursday.”

“I am glad to see that you have made some new friends. Now please tell us about yourself.” Nicholas said with a smile.

“I am an art major. My favorite type of art is drawing and painting. I am a junior and I am going to try to get into Delta Epsilon Beta Tau next semester.”

“That is wonderful Crystal. I think that you will find several things that will inspire your art while we are here in Greece.” Nicholas asked, “Do you have any hobbies?”

“I love to read.” Crystal said with a smile.

Vanessa smiled and said, “You and I have that in common then. I read a lot as well.” Crystal smiles widely at Vanessa as she continues, “How would you like to come with me tomorrow evening? I have a tour set up tomorrow of some of the libraries nearby.”

“That would be amazing. Are you sure you do not mind me tagging along?” Crystal asks with a smile.

Vaness said, “It would be an honor to have you accompany me tomorrow.” Nicholas and Vanessa took turns asking Crystal questions for the next hour and Crystal had become more comfortable after the invitation issued from Vanessa. Quinten was glad to see that the people he cared for most in the world were getting along smashingly.

Nicholas saw that Crystal was open and honest while speaking with them and he could see that Crystal would make an amazing queen when the time was right. Nicholas could tell that Stephanie was missing Stephanie and as Vanessa and Crystal settled into a conversation about books Nicholas pulled Quinten aside and said, “I think that we should wait to tell Crystal about Stephanie until we head home. That way Crystal will be able to enjoy her time while she is here. I do not want Crystal to be overly worried about Stephanie when she should be enjoying her holiday.”

“Crystal will worry whether we tell her the information now or later. I will discuss this with Crystal tomorrow but, I ask that if Crystal decides that she would like to hear the information then we tell her. I promised Crystal before we left that we would be discussing Stephanie and how to rescue her.”

“I would like to speak with you and your friends before we speak to Crystal so, that I can hear their thoughts on our plan. We also need to have a back-up plan in case the original plan does not work.”

“Father we will figure this out together. We could meet Thursday since Crystal will be preoccupied.”

“Thursday it is then. We also need to discuss the period of when you will ascend to power. Which, we can discuss tomorrow while your mother and Crystal are on their library tour.”

“As you wish father.” The rest of the evening goes by quickly. Nicholas watched as Quinten and Crystal left to change for their evening out. Nicholas had decided to give Quinten and Crystal an extra year; to allow Crystal the time to finish her degree. Nicholas also wanted to give Crystal the time she needed to learn from Vanessa how to be the queen of the vampire world. Nicholas hoped that Crystal was ready for some attention from the media because after this trip her relationship with Quinten would be known to the entire world.