"Don't sell yourself short," Mr. Nancy scolded, thumping Shadow on the chest with the back of his hand. "You got lots to offer a place like that. You stopped a war, boy. That kid over there could probably really use someone with a head like yours." Nevermind that the old man had a tendency toward teasing the All-father's pup, there was a time for truths, and this was one of them.

As for whether or not his ex-wife was human, Shadow didn't have to go much farther than his own family to figure that one, did he? He and Wednesday had been smart; gods marrying goddesses just led to a shitstorm of trouble. Ask Zeus.

"She is doin' better," Mr. Nancy said with a grin. "She'll do better for a while, then she'll stop. Gotta do that some time; she's an old, old lady now. Tell you, when I married her she was just a girl, tiny thing too." He shrugged. "'Course, I was a sight younger back then too."