#steo au

When Theo begrudgingly turns and watches Brett strumming the lyre, there are indeed different colors glowing from the instrument as the Apollo boy plays. And if Theo pays a closer look, there's also a pattern to these colors. He huffs. Of course, Stiles will be distracted by this. Something is gleaming, and it has hypothetical value he can obsess about later. Stiles is a goner.

So, his boyfriend is not, in fact, watching Brett or his fingers. But he's still paying Theo no notice, which is the pressing matter here.

"Are you going to be distracted the whole night?" Theo says through gritted teeth.

That makes Stiles drag his gaze back on Theo, squinting his eyes at his boyfriend. The orange firelight from the bonfire dances in his brown eyes as Stiles's mouth turns up in a playful smile, "You're so clingy,"

Theo's answer is a loud scoff. He swivels away, the fire burning just a little more on his marshmallow, detaching it from the stick to plop uselessly on the ground. Theo swears under his breath.

Stiles scoots closer to him, stuffing his food into his mouth and brushing the crumbs off his fingers. He slides an arm around Theo and pulls him close. Stiles props his chin on Theo's left shoulder and grins up at him, immediately forgetting the lyre. Theo continues to glare, dropping a small kiss on top of Stiles's nose before he reminds himself that he's annoyed. Theo still grumbles when he impales another marshmallow on his stick. "Next thing, you'll be asking Brett to teach you how to play it."

Stiles snorts, nuzzling the side of Theo's neck. Stiles is not the most openly-affectionate person, but on the rare occasions he is, Theo takes everything he can. Stiles swallows his food, smiling lopsidedly, "Are you saying I can't learn it myself?"

Theo rolls his eyes.

The reaction earns him a chuckle. "Anyway," Stiles says, turning to the bonfire. "It's just good music, Theo. Brett's dad is a professional singer, so that's why even his singing is not abysmal."

"Is that what 'god of music' is downplayed to now? A professional."

"No, not Apollo, obviously," Stiles sends him a flat look. "I mean his human dad."

Theo pauses, staring at Stiles, uncomprehending.

Stiles catches the confusion on his face after a moment and arches a brow, "What?"

"You said 'his human dad',"

A short nod, "Yeah,"

"I don't understand."

Stiles straightens, "Wait. You didn't know? Of course, you didn't. You're wearing your dumb look."

Theo glowers for the heck of it, "I don't have a dumb look,"

"You do too," Stiles tells him. "But yes. Brett is an offspring of a male god and a male mortal," he says it as if it is common knowledge. It isn't. 

It's not adding up inside Theo's head at all. It's like Stiles is speaking in gibberish, and the gears in his brain are creaking in an effort to translate. "How," he breathes out after a while. "How is that even possible?"

Stiles turns to him, unimpressed, and shakes his head. "I swear you forget you're half a divinity sometimes."

"But it's not-" Theo sputters, wanting to say it's not possible, but of course, it is. Almost everything is possible with the gods. He thought that going two years in this demigod business that nothing will surprise him anymore. But then information like this knocks him back to square one. He finishes with a loud exhale, eyes wide and in utter disbelief. "He doesn't have a mom? That's very weird." Theo manages to croak out.

Stiles whips his head sharply at that statement, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "I resent that," he says. "You saying that about Brett is insulting me too, you know, considering how I came to be."

Theo feels another breath is about to be punched out of him, "What do you mean?" His voice is embarrassingly panicked and desperate. "You have a mom,"

"Yeah, but do you remember who my mother is?"

Theo is almost offended, "Athena! The goddess of battle-" he cuts midsentence, realization dawning on his features. Stiles is merely raising his eyebrows, giving him time. Theo shakes his head, feeling a headache creeping upon him. "She's a virgin goddess." Lifting his head to seek Stiles's eyes, he flails with his one hand, a very Stiles gesture that he's quickly adapting, especially in stressful situations. "Then how-"

As Theo lets his question hang, Stiles shrugs, "I guess we never discussed this. But do you, at least, remember the tale of how my mother was born?"

"Zeus lusted after Metis, a Titaness and a goddess of wisdom, prudence, and deep thought. She was Zeus' first wife, but when she was pregnant with their first child, an oracle of Gaea prophesied that Metis' first child would be a girl and that her second child would be a boy that would overthrow Zeus, similarly to what had happened to his father and grandfather. Zeus took this warning to heart, so the next time he saw Metis, Zeus swallowed her and her unborn child.

After a time, Zeus developed an unbearable headache, which made him scream out of pain so loudly that the entire world heard it. The other gods came to see what the problem was. Hermes realized what had to happen and directed Hephaestus to take a wedge and split open Zeus's skull. Out of the head sprang Athena, fully grown and in a full set of armor. Due to the way of her birth, she became the goddess of intelligence and wisdom." [x]

Theo blinks at Stiles. Stiles blinks right back.

There's a quiet tension between them as Stiles waits for Theo to speak. Then, dully, Theo says, "You did not spring out of Athena's skull."

Stiles, for his part, looks a little bit sheepish, at least. He gestures at his siblings nearby, confirming, "We all did."

Theo doesn't know how long he gapes, but one thing is for sure: he'll never see Stiles the same way again. He's dating a literal brainchild - a gift. It's part astonishing and part ludicrous. And Theo thinks he just fell in love again.

He sits on the log, unmoving and stunned that he doesn't notice his marshmallow falling off of his stick again.

Theo feels a nudge from his right, prompting him to move. He snaps his mouth shut and turns, still in a slight daze, to see Boyd, son of Hephaestus, procuring a screwdriver from the magical tool belt around his hips. It's enough to clear his head, and Theo takes the object and looks at it uncertainly, "What's this for?"

Boyd smirks, making a twirling gesture with his finger, pointing at his temple. "So you can fix the loose screws in your head," 

Stiles doubles over in laughter at his side.

•••

Sometime later:

"So, does this mean we can have a child coming out of your skull, too?"

Theo barely misses Stiles's dagger.