What I did for germinating my seeds (as recommended by two different seed stores) was put them in a shot glass of room temp distilled water with a bit of paper towel to weigh them down (keep them under water), then put them in a warm dark place (like the cupboard above a hot water heater or fridge). Try not to disturb them for 48 hours. Ours germinated in those two days, with the exception of one, which germinated in 8 days. It's normal for seeds to take that long, or even a couple days longer than that, to germinate. Hope that helps!

ps: our seeds didn't rot...