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Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty and love. So what if she became a little vain? Did anyone expect anything different?
Her birth was an interesting one. It started with a castration. Cronos, a Titan castrated Uranus and threw his genitals into the sea. They turned to foam from which Aphrodite arose. She then floated ashore on a large scallop shell.
She quickly grew to fame among the mortals. They all loved her. Who wouldn’t? (The other goddesses.) They didn’t necessarily hate her. They just didn’t really like her. The Gods would fight over her. Things became very violent. Zeus felt the need to do something about the animosity. He forced Aphrodite to marry Hephaestus, a smithing god, who was deemed too ugly to live in Olympus.
Of course Aphrodite was angry. She didn’t love Hephaestus. The marriage didn’t stop her from enjoying beautiful men. She actually enjoyed a lot of them. Mostly Ares and Adonis. Ares had that whole bad boy thing that Aphrodite loved, and Adonis was the most handsome mortal.
She always appreciated Adonis’s beauty. When he was an infant she kept him in a chest. For obvious reason she couldn’t keep the chest in Olympus, so she gave it to Persephone, the queen of the Underworld. Persephone was simply supposed to keep an eye on the chest. She wasn’t meant to open it. But that didn’t stop her, and things didn’t end well after that.
Aphrodite took pride in her beauty. She would do whatever it took to stay the most beautiful. Sometimes a mortal would grab the attention of men, and Aphrodite would grow jealous. Like Helen of Troy. She couldn’t let some mortal be free to gather so much attention. She offered Helen to Paris. Aphrodite thought that would be the end of it, but we all know that story.
Eventually Aphrodite became a little reclusive. She stayed out of the lives of mortals. She lived that way for a few centuries until she saw a young woman.
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Aphrodite stands and she walks to Eros with her eyebrows drawn together. She glances down at the picture in her hands and sighs.
Eros looks at Aphrodite and thinks about his relationship to the woman. They have always been there for each other. He was there the day she was born. Or arose out of the sea foam. Whatever. Same difference. Aphrodite was born an adult woman, and was always like a mother to Eros and his fellow Erotes. He trusted her and she him. He would do anything for her.
“She is too beautiful.” Aphrodite says as she hands Eros the picture. The first thing he notices is the long amazing almost red hair. He looks at the girl’s deep and inviting green eyes. Her features are soft. She truly is beautiful.
“So. Who cares if she is good looking?”
“I do. It isn’t fair Eros. I’m supposed to be the beautiful one. Me. I am the goddess. Not her.”
“Shit. Here we go again.” Eros deadpans.
“No, but its ok. I have a plan. A good one this time.” Eros rolls his eyes and looks back at the photo while Aphrodite continues to talk. He is in awe of the girl, no young woman, in the photo. He hears Aphrodite say something about ‘love’ and something about ‘that ugly guy Greenberg.’ If he knows Aphrodite half as much as he thinks he does, this won't end well.
He continues to stare at the photo with wide eyes. As he stares his grin grows wider and his heart beats faster.
“Eros!” Aphrodite shouts to regain Eros’ attention.
“What?”
“I asked you a question. About that girl in the picture. Will you do it? Will you do it for me? Please. I’m begging you.”
Eros tries to think about what Aphrodite had just asked. He hadn’t been listening, but he knows better than to say no to her.
“Whatever. As long as this doesn’t end up like that whole Helen thing.” Eros looks at Aphrodite and smirks before he continues, “And by the way, you should really work on your jealousy issues. They seem to cause us a lot of trouble.”
“I’ll think about it. Tell the others to get ready. We leave for Beacon Hills tomorrow. Stop with the sass, don’t make me confiscate your bow and arrows.”
“Yes Mommy Dearest. And about the arrows, I don’t need them. They’re mostly for show. Plus they freak people out. It’s fun.”
“You would find that fun.”
“Is that an insult?” Eros says with a laugh.
“Of course. What else would it be?”
“Rude.”
“Just go get your brothers, We lave for Beacon Hill in the morning,” she says with a sigh to end all sighs. Eros flees the room with the picture still in his hand. Aphrodite walks to the large wall of windows in her room and caters to her precious windflowers. Aphrodite walks across the room to sit on her ‘throne’. The throne is really just a super comfy Lazy Boy. Seconds later Eros is rushing back into the room.
“Did you say Beacon Hills?”
“Yes, you know of it?”
“Yeah. I’ve been there.”
“We wont have a problem being there, right?”
“No. No. Um- it should be fine.”
“Good. Now go get ready.” Eros nods and leaves the room again only to run back in a moment later.
“What is the woman’s name?” He asks trying not to sound too interested.
“Lydia Martin.”
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The plan is simple. Lydia Martin is too beautiful for anyone’s good. Aphrodite knows from experience how to get people to pay less attention to someone beautiful. Aphrodite wants Eros and his fellow Erotes to do their thing and make Lydia fall in love with someone ugly. Apparently, there is some guy named Greenberg that Lydia knows from school. Eros just has to make Lydia fall in love with this Greenberg guy. Keep interaction with the mortals minimal. Don’t get attached. Keep your wings hidden at all times. Blah blah blah.
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May 15th 2014 - Present Day
“Lydia, you are a goddess on Earth! Thank you!” Stiles says as he makes his way toward the school, Lydia walking beside him. He was freaking out after he heard about the pop quiz in AP History. He missed yesterday’s class because of reasons.
“Well, the next time you decide to skip school to hang out with your boyfriend, don’t expect me to let you copy my notes. This was a one time thing.”
“Derek is not my boyfriend! Oh. My. God. Lydia! No! He’s just my friend. We’ve been friends for like ever. I don’t even like him like that. I’m not even gay. Ugh! And he doesn’t even like me like that. It’s Derek! He has never liked anyone like that. Ask Cora! She’ll tell you. Ok. It isn’t like that. Like not even a little bit.”
“Um- are you done? Ok. If you aren’t dating him, then what did you do with him yesterday?” Lydia asks as she stops in front of her locker and unlocks it.
“Well, if you must know, we went for a walk in the woods and talked a little. And then we had lunch and just hung out.” (And that really is all they did. Well, other than the game of wolf tag. Derek shifts to beta form and they chase each other around. Which by the way, is totally not fair, because Stiles isn’t a wolf. But it is Derek’s favorite game, so Stiles was happy to play.)
“What did you have for lunch? Was it a picnic? Did he bring a blanket and a wicker basket? Did he feed you grapes off the vine? Did he-”
“Shut up. It’s not like that. It was a platonic picnic! A bro-nic? Yeah.” Lydia stops in front of the door to the class and turns to face Stiles. She makes that face. The face that Stiles has named ‘the smirk of death.’
“Was that a question?”
“Nope,” Stiles pops the ‘p’ for extra emphasis, “Also don’t make that face at me. You know it gives me nightmares.” Lydia laughs and walks into the classroom and sits at her desk. Of course Stiles sits in the desk next to her. Any AP class would be unbearable without the magnificent Lydia by his side.
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Lydia is one of Stiles’s best friends. He used to have a huge crush on her. Throughout most of elementary school, all of middle school, and freshmen year, he pined. He thought about her all the time. Sure he didn’t really know her. Well, everyone knew who Lydia was, but only a select few actually got to really know her. He had a plan to win her over and everything.
All of that changed when he had his first AP class with Lydia. They got assigned to work together for the final project. They had to make a five minute movie based on a classic work of fiction.
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May 2013
The day the they two were paired up, they met at Stiles’s house to discuss what their video was going to be about. They say at the kitchen table which was covered with various books that Stiles had collected over the years.
“What about Slaughterhouse Five?” Stiles suggests, holding the book up.
“Who would you play? One of Tralfamadorians?” Lydia jokes.
“Um no. Do I look like a green toilet plunger to you? Hm? Do I have one hand with one yellow eye in the center of said hand? Obviously I would be Billy Pilgrim. I can totally play crazy and paranoid.”
“And who would I be? There aren't really a whole lot of female characters to chose from. And if you think I am going to play his wife, you would be wrong.”
“Obviously you would play Montana Wildhack.”
“I should slap you,” Lydia says jokingly with a small laugh.
“What? She is a great character. You are totally beautiful enough to play her.”
“Yes, thank you Stiles for thinking that I am beautiful enough to play a perpetually nude porn star.”
“Ok- I can kinda see how that is kind of offensive. So, what would you like to do?”
“I could go for some Shakespeare. But not Romeo and Juliet. I’ve always been partial to Hamlet.”
“Sounds good.”
They plan for Stiles to play Hamlet, even though Lydia keeps making jokes that Stiles has the mouth to play Polonius. Lydia decides that she will play Ophelia.
One day Lydia and Stiles are in Stiles’s living room writing their script, when Derek stops by for a visit. Stiles introduces Lydia and Derek, even though they have already met. Derek was a senior at the time, Stiles and Lydia were sophomores. Derek ends up helping with script writing a little. Stiles and Derek do most of the talking. Lydia sits back and observes the two interact.
A few hours later Derek gets ready to go home for the night. Lydia stops him just before he opens the door to leave.
“Hey, Derek, you should play Horatio in our video. It would be really cool, I think Stiles would really appreciate it.”
“Yeah, sure. Fine. Sounds cools.” Derek says trying to sound ambivalent. Lydia definitely notices the way his ears turn pink.
It was through this project that Stiles finally got to know Lydia. She really was amazing, even more so than Stiles had hoped. She was smart, funny, nice, and so much more. But meeting and knowing Lydia changed something. It confused Stiles, he couldn't explain it. Maybe he just didn’t feel that way about her anymore. Maybe he never really did.
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Present Day
Aphrodite arranges for them to stay in a large home on the outskirts of Beacon Hills. Originally, they were only going to stay a few days, but Eros convinced Aphrodite that he could create a stronger bond between Lydia and Greenberg if they stay in town a while. She falls for it. Aphrodite is surprisingly easy to lie too. Either that, or Eros is really good at lying.
The Erotes will disguise themselves as high school students in order to get close to Lydia and Greenberg. Or at least that is what Aphrodite thinks. Eros just wants to get close to Lydia. There is just something about her. Eros thinks he might have a true bond with her. They don’t happen often. True bonds. Most of the time when people fall in love, it is because the work of Eros.
Eros noticed a long time ago that his powers wouldn’t affect some people. He would try to make them fall in love, but it just didn’t work. He kept an eye on these people, and watched as they fell in love on their own, without his help. Eros watched these people, he started to look for the patterns, the things that would let him notice other who had true bonds. He thinks that is what he has with Lydia.
Still he made a promise to Aphrodite. Lydia must love someone ugly. Eros knows that he is attractive, he can’t allow Lydia to love him without breaking his promise to Aphrodite. He has a plan though. With modern mortal technology, maybe he can have both.
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“Hey, Mom, I’m home.” Stiles says as he tosses his keys into the bowl on the kitchen counter. He walks into the living room where his mother is sitting with Talia Hale.
“Hey sweety. How was lacrosse practice?” His mother asks.
“It was fine. A little uneventful, but it usually is,” he replies.
“That’s good I guess. So, have you talked to Cora about what you guys want for the party?” Stiles and Cora have always had one giant joint birthday party. They were born on the same day and had a lot of the same friends, so it just made sense.
“Nah, not yet. I’ll call her later,” Stiles says as he glances back and forth from his mother and her friend. “Hey Mrs. Hale.”
“Oh Stiles. I think its time you start calling me Talia.” Talia says as she looks to Claudia and winks.
“Oh. Um- ok?” Stiles says.
“Well, you are turning 18. You’re almost an adult.”
“Oh. Yeah. Right. Yay. Adulthood.” Stiles nervously chuckles and tries to ignore the heat rising in his cheeks. That’s odd. Stiles wonders why he feels himself blushing. Whatever. His mother leans over to whisper something in her friend’s ear. Talia laughs and nods.
“So, I’m gonna go upstairs and start my homework,” Stiles says, just a little awkwardly. He turns to the stairs and starts to walk up them.
“Oh and Stiles? Tell Derek that I expect him to be home on time for dinner tonight, I have something to discuss with him.” Stiles doesn't fall, because that would be silly. Almost adults don’t fall up the stairs. If anyone asks, Stiles purposefully hit his head on the railing. That’s a thing adults do. Right?
Stiles smiles as he makes it the rest of the way to his room. He tosses his backpack on the desk chair and flops down on his bed. Stiles reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone to call Derek.
“Hey Stiles.” Stiles smiles at his best friend’s voice.
“Hey Der.” Stiles starts to play with the buttons on his plaid shirt. Stiles calls Derek almost everyday after school. Sometimes they don’t even say anything. They just listen to each other breath. If Stiles thinks about it, he could see that it is something a couple might do, but it is not like that. Derek’s breathing calms him, and he knows that he calms Derek’s wolf. That’s not romantic.
After a few minutes of silence, Stiles starts to tell Derek about his day. (He leaves out Lydia’s accusations of course.) Derek listens as Stiles tells him about Mr. Harris’s creepy vendetta. What does that guy have against Stiles? The dude is totally an asshole. Derek chuckles when Stiles tells him about Jackson throwing a fit because a helicopter seed landed on his car.
Derek talks a little too. He tells Stiles about the classes he had today. Derek was in college. The university that Derek goes to is just in the town over, so Derek commutes. Stiles can’t wait for college. It’ll be so fun. Derek’s stories always make him even more excited.
During another session of silent moments Stiles hears a gentle knock at his door.
“Stiles, dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes.” Stiles moves the phone away from his face to answer his mom as she peeks her head in.
“Ok Mom.” Stiles waits a few seconds before putting the phone back to his face to talk to Derek. “Well, I gotta go. Almost time for dinner. Oh. By the way, your mom told me to start calling her Talia. Should I be scared?”
“Absolutely.” They laugh a little before they both say their goodbyes and hang up.
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“So, Stiles. What did you and Derek do yesterday?” Stiles’s father, John, asks over dinner.
“Well, I met up with him after school, and we hung out in the preserve.” Stile speaks around his bite of steak.
“I know you didn’t go to school yesterday Son.”
‘Shit-”
“Language” Claudia warns, pointing at Stiles with her fork.
“Sorry. Um, we just hung out and had a bro-nic.” Stiles says with his hands raised as is to surrender.
“What on earth is a bro-nic?” John asks with his eyebrows raised. Stiles opens his mouth to explain, but his father starts talking again. “Nevermind. I don’t think I want to know.”
“What?! It’s just when two guy friends have a platonic picnic.”
“So, you skipped school to have a ‘platonic picnic’ with Derek?” John even goes so far as to make air quotes as he speaks.
“Yes!” Stiles says as his arms moves sporadically above his head.
“Ok. Sure.” Stiles ignores his father and turns his focus to his plate. Stiles doesn’t understand why everyone is always implying that there is something more than friendship between him and Derek. Honestly they are just friends.
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The next morning was terrible. Stiles woke up late, he fell in the shower, and his jeep decided to be a temperamental shit and not start. He realized that the battery was just dead, so John jump started it. Stiles speed all the way to school, managing to avoid the deputies on patrol. He ran into to his first class just as the bell was ringing. He knows that he probably looked a little foolish, but he tries not to think about things like that. Stiles drops into his desk next to Lydia, and looks up to see two very good looking guys standing next to the teacher. This almost makes up for his shitty morning. Wait, what? Stiles is totally straight. Not even a little bi. Totally into girls. One hundred percent into the ladies. A guy can know that other guys are attractive and not be gay.
“Class, we have two new students joining us today.. Boys, why don’t you two tell the class a little about yourselves? Where are you from?” Ms. Blake asks. Eros and his brother, Himeros, stand in the front of the room, and look at their new classmates. The chose fake names that resembled their real names. Apparently it’s a pretty common practice when people use aliases.
“Hello. My name is Jordan, and this is-,” Eros turns to face his brother.
“Henry,” Himeros says with a flirty smile. Wow. That was kind of smooth.
“We move around a lot, so I guess we are from a lot of places, but most recently we lived in Jackson Parish, Louisiana.”
As the two new boys talk about themselves Stiles looks over to Lydia, whose eyes flutter as she takes a deep breath while looking Eros.
“Lydia Martin. Did I just see you swoon?” Stiles whispers at his friend.
“Stiles Stilinski, I do not swoon.”
“Sure, whatever you say.” Stiles smiles as the new kids move to the empty seats. Coincidentally right behind Lydia and Stiles. Stiles doesn’t mention it, but he finds it odd that anyone would transfer to a new school this late in the year. There are only a few weeks of class left.
Stiles’s next few classes are uneventful and a little boring. He suffers until lunch when he gets to see all of his friends at the same time. Except Derek of course, who is busy being an awesome college student. Whatever, it’s not like Stiles is upset about not being able to eat lunch with Derek everyday.
“Hey Scotty!” Stiles shouts as he makes his way toward the lunch table. “Cora, Allison, Lydia.” Stiles says greeting the rest of his friends as he sits down, next to Scott and across from Cora. “Did you guys meet the new kids?”
“Which ones? There are four new students.” Allison says without taking her eye away from Scott.
“Really? Lydia and I have Jordan and Henry in AP History.”
“Yeah, there’s also Anthony and Paul. Anthony is a junior. Paul, Jordan and Henry are seniors.” Allison explains.
“That Henry guy is kind of hot, don’t you think Lydia?” Cora asks.
“I prefer Jordan.”
“You should have seen Lydia checking him out in class. It was hilarious.”
“Stiles thought he was cute too.”
“What? A guy can know that another guy is attractive. That doesn’t mean anything!”
“You’re right Stiles. It doesn’t mean anything, and I never said that it did. But, there is a difference between knowing that a guy is attractive and finding a guy attractive.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Hey Stiles, don’t you have to talk to Cora about your party so that I can plan it for you?” Lydia says quickly changing the subject. Stiles is a little annoyed, but starts to talk to Cora about the upcoming party. Scott and Allison chat about lovey-dovey random crap, and Lydia just sits back and her friends with interest.