Snake in the Glass

**Snake in the Glass** is an InCryptid short story. It is second in the Dominic and Verity Shorts.

## Synopsis

After New Orleans, Verity and Dominic are continuing to put their relationship through what can only be termed the ultimate stress-test: after all, there's a lot of country left to cover before they get to Oregon, and it's not like Verity is picking the most direct route. After all, she'd like him to meet her extended family before he meets her parents. Her parents are more likely to let him live if he has a few letters of recommendation.

The Carmichael Hotel in Chicago has long been a favorite destination of the Price family when they need a home away from home, and what better way to test Dominic's evolving attitudes toward the cryptid world than by dropping him into a nest of gorgons? Besides, any excuse to see Uncle Mike and Aunt Lea is a good one...although there may be a few complications. There always are.

When the modern world meets tradition and tradition meets practicality, it will be down to Dominic and Verity to show that sometimes, the ways you think are best are the ones that won't do anything to save you.

## Plot

Verity and Dominic stop at the Carmichael Hotel in Chicago, where Verity is welcomed as an old family friend. At dinner, they discover tension in the Kalakos family: Vasia Kalakos is intended to marry the visiting gorgon Manos, but she does not want to. Her sister suggests herself for the marriage instead. Verity and Dominic help persuade the family to go for the match.

## Characters

* Verity Price
* Dominic De Luca
* Vasia Kalakos
* Dina Kalakos
* Manos
* Angelo Kalakos, head of family
* Lydia Kalakos, his wife
* Mike Gucciard and Lea Gucciard
* Aeslin Mice

**Mentioned**

* Sarah Zellaby
* The Violent Priestess (Frances Healy)
* Alexander Price
* Antimony Price
* Theodore Harrington
* Jane Harrington-Price

## Field Guide

* Aeslin Mice
* Lesser Gorgon
* Oceanid

**Mentioned**

* Cuckoo
* Lilu

## Locations

* Chicago, Illinois
	+ Carmichael Hotel

## Organizations

**Mentioned**

* Covenant of St. George

## Continuity

* Verity notes her grandparents (Alice and Thomas, presumably) had their honeymoon at the Carmichael hotel. Her great-grandparents (Jonathan and Frances) did as well. This would have been impossible for Alice and Thomas, since Thomas was confined to his home by the Crossroads well before they were married.
* Gorgons love their Medusa wine. It's part of their mating culture.
* Mike Gucciard's family has a long friendship with the Price-Healys.

## Quotes

* **Verity:** "Before Dominic, my romantic life had been a series of one-night stands and short-lived affairs that inevitably ended with my partner accusing me of cheating. There was nothing else that explained the way I would disappear in the middle of the night, not coming back until morning, if I came back at all. To be honest, I'd started to despair of ever finding someone I could be happy with long before Dominic had come along."

### Epigraph

* **Frances Brown:** "I can't think of any better place in this world for making memories than the Carmichael Hotel. The staff is friendly, the beds are sizeable, and the walls are pretty much soundproof. I expect Heaven will be much the same."
	+ Curiously, Fran's first visit to the Carmichael was on her honeymoon, where she was explicitly called "Frances Healy."

### Pop Culture

* Verity, Alex, and Antimony liked watching Star Trek together as kids.
* Disney's The Lion King