"Daddy," Nyxavere called out, her voice carrying that particular note that meant her omniscience had just shown her something deeply unpleasant.
Parker didn't even look up from his coffee. "I know, baby. I know."
The casual way he said it made everyone in the room go still. Zhang Ruoyun's perfectly composed expression shifted slightly, Maya's hand tightened around her mug, and even Annabelle stopped her dramatic posing to pay attention.
"Know what, daddy?" Seraphina asked, her childlike curiosity cutting through the tension.
"The gods," Nyxavere said, her usual streaming energy replaced by grim certainty. "All of them. Every pantheon is mobilizing. They're not sending champions this time."
Parker finally looked up, and his smile was sharp enough to cut dimensions. "Of course they are. Can't have humans getting uppity and thinking they don't need to worship cosmic assholes anymore."
