| Metropolis - September 3
"Happy birthday to you—"
Inside a large mansion, dozens of people gathered around a table as they sang. At the center sat a toddler in front of a massive pink cake.
A smile spread across Joseph's face as he looked down at his happy little ball of sunshine.
Mar'i was the spitting image of her mother, from her complexion to her glowing, pupilless green eyes.
Only her hair resembled his own and his late mother's—a dark brown shade. Though perhaps, as she grew older, she'd inherit more of his Luthor features as well: angular cheekbones and a sharper jawline.
Joseph had wanted to name her in honor of his late mother, Mary Bell. So he and Kori blended both their worlds together and chose the name Mar'i. It was the Tamaranean spelling and phonetic adaptation of the traditional human name Mary, pronounced Marie in English.
"Happy birthday to you—"
Joseph looked around appreciatively at the family and friends gathered to celebrate.
Of course, Cass and Jason were present, now ten and fourteen years old respectively. Klarion lounged lazily near the back of the room, while Sebas Tian worked in the kitchen like a one-man army, efficiently preparing an enormous feast.
His Aunt Lena was there as well for her great-niece's birthday.
Joseph had eventually revealed his identity to her, and after the initial shock wore off, she slowly came to terms with it. Though she worried constantly for him, it warmed his heart knowing he once again had a blood relative who genuinely cared about him.
Waylon was present too, having undergone a procedure that allowed him to transform into a normal human at will. He'd also learned Joseph's identity, but rather than worry, he simply looked satisfied that his suspicions had been right all along.
Waylon had recently married Janet from HR and carried himself with an extra spring in his step these days. Joseph was genuinely happy for him.
Selina and Bruce had also arrived with their daughter, Helena Wayne.
Apparently Selina had taken Joseph's joke about his kid needing a playmate very seriously, because Helena had been born only four days after Mar'i, on September 7, 2011.
And they weren't the only ones with toddlers present.
Shortly after New Year's Day in 2011, Joseph had revived Superman.
His family, friends, and the entire world celebrated the Man of Steel's return. The responsibility of safeguarding Metropolis shifted back onto Superman's shoulders, prompting the Powerpuff Girls to relocate to Townsville, Australia.
But no one celebrated Superman's return more enthusiastically than Lois Lane.
The result of that enthusiasm currently sat in her arms: Jonathan "Jonny" Samuel Kent, born September 30, 2011.
As an added bonus, Lois' skeptical articles about LuthorCorp had almost completely disappeared.
"Happy birthday dear Mar'i—"
The Team was also present in full force.
Wally and Artemis stood together holding hands, having finally become a couple at the end of 2010. Conner and M'gann's relationship was still going strong as well.
Dick, who had recently adopted the name Nightwing, had started dating Zatanna. The mantle of Robin had subsequently passed to Batman's new young protégé, Tim Drake.
Batman really did have a habit of putting young boys in tights and sending them into danger.
Not that Joseph could claim much moral high ground considering he'd allowed Jason to obtain a Denarian Nova Helmet and join the Team as Nova Knight.
Still, Joseph liked to think there was a difference. Jason had received one of the most powerful tools in the galaxy to protect him, and Joseph hadn't started training him seriously until he was fourteen—not nine, like Bruce had with Dick.
Cass, for her part, had wanted to keep up with the rest of her family.
Even her best friend, Sharon Vance, had developed electromagnetic powers after her meta-gene activated during one of Child's attacks on Earth.
Because of the danger posed by unstable powers, Sharon had been transferred to one of several LuthorCorp-funded schools for young metas learning control. Visitors were heavily restricted, leaving Cass lonely and missing her best friend.
Combined with the fact that everyone at Cass's regular school treated her like some kind of tiny ninja mob boss and acted absurdly respectful around her, she eventually started begging Joseph for powers the same way Jason once had.
So Joseph gave her the Shadow Belt, a Thanagarian artifact that allowed her to transform into and travel as an intangible living shadow. It let her safely sneak away to visit Sharon whenever she wanted.
Garth—now Tempest—and Tula, Aquagirl and Kaldur's childhood friend, had also begun dating after joining the Teen Titans in 2011.
Joseph felt a little bad for Kaldur. Years earlier, Kaldur had nearly left the Teen Titans because of his feelings for Tula, straining his friendship with Garth in the process. Fortunately, he eventually reconciled with both of them and came to terms with it.
Kaldur later tried dating Raquel, though the relationship didn't last. Still, they remained on good terms.
In 2012, Troia finally received permission from her mother to join the Team and eventually started dating Roy.
With the sheer number of relationships forming around him, Joseph was beginning to wonder whether this was really a covert superhero team or just an elaborate dating club.
Though, to be fair, he couldn't exactly judge considering he'd joined the Team in the first place because Kori had.
The only people who weren't dating were Mon-El—the Kryptonian name Match received from Clark after his return—Rachel, and Garfield.
Mon-El and Rachel had grown quite close over the years. Rachel herself had become noticeably more extroverted, though she was still shy when it came to romance, while Mon-El remained utterly clueless in that department. Still, they were young and had years ahead of them. If it was meant to happen, it would.
Funnily enough, Gar actually had a crush on Rachel as well, but he was six years younger than her and painfully immature, so the seventeen-year-old Raven never took his advances seriously.
As the Teen Titans expanded, the Team eventually needed more structure and was divided into two groups: Alpha Squad and Beta Squad, with Kori leading Alpha and Kaldur leading Beta.
Alpha Squad consisted of Starfire, Nightwing, Beast Boy, Raven, Artemis, Nova Knight, Aquagirl, and Arsenal.
Kori had made Dick her second-in-command and gradually groomed him for leadership. During her maternity leave, Nightwing gained valuable experience acting as leader in her absence.
Beta Squad consisted of Aqualad, Miss Martian, Zatanna, Tempest, Troia, Rocket, and Robin.
Match and Superboy were no longer active members of the Teen Titans, preferring to use their immense power assisting the Nova Corps instead, though they still spent plenty of time at the Cave.
Outside the Titans, Joseph's mentor, Captain Atom, was also present. Nathaniel C. Adams had finally revealed his real name, though Joseph had already pieced it together long ago.
Mar'i had adorably taken to calling him Grandpa whenever he was in human form because of his white hair, despite the fact that his face and physique still resembled a man in his early thirties.
Nathaniel, who had missed the chance to raise his own children after disappearing into the Quantum Realm for decades, absolutely adored her. Being estranged from his now adult children, he treated Mar'i like a true grandchild.
Diana was present as well, accompanied by Artemis and Akila, whom she had brought into Man's World for the first time. They carried gifts and blessings from the Amazons.
Joseph raised an eyebrow when he noticed Jason blushing around Artemis of Bana-Mighdall. As expected of someone he considered a brother. The attraction to redheads apparently ran in the family.
His mother had fallen for his father, Lex, back when the man still had red hair before going bald. Joseph himself had once had a crush on Barbara Gordon before meeting Kori. Then there was Conner, who was dating Megan, whose human guise was a redhead. And now Jason had developed a crush on another one.
Joseph briefly wondered if Match's feelings for Raven would change if her dark hair suddenly turned red.
The thought almost made him chuckle.
The Bana-Mighdall had settled surprisingly well into Themyscira, and the Themyscirans' influence had made them considerably less violent and more open-minded over time.
Though, admittedly, their misandry remained alive and well. Some things apparently never changed with Amazons.
The Omega Men unfortunately couldn't attend this year due to an important mission. Only Ryand'r had been temporarily excused so he could celebrate his niece's birthday.
Many others who couldn't make it had still sent their regards.
Nabu claimed he was investigating a mystical threat, though Joseph knew the ancient sorcerer was simply being tsundere and had no idea how to properly express affection after millennia of isolation.
Teth-Adam was occupied ruling Kahndaq and taking care of his pregnant wife Adrianna, preventing him from attending as well.
Still, both of them—along with Dubbilex, who had finally relocated his people to the newly constructed Geranium City—had sent toys and gifts for Mar'i.
And finally, standing right beside Joseph, was his beautiful wife, Kori.
Joseph glanced down at the faintly glowing silver rings resting on their fingers. Crafted from Genesis, the rings ensured they would always remain connected no matter the distance.
They had married in 2011, surrounded by many of the same people gathered here today.
Kori's red hair now carried a faint pink tint—the result of her ascension into a New God.
Joseph had been terrified during her pregnancy.
He had no idea whether her body could safely withstand carrying the child of a New God.
He knew Grail was the daughter of a Themysciran Amazon and Darkseid, but Amazons were divinely blessed by the Greek gods.
As far as Joseph knew, Tamaraneans possessed no such blessing. And even if they did, he didn't exactly trust it considering X'Hal's history.
The Tamaranean goddess had allegedly gone mad after enduring countless atrocities committed by the Psions, Branx, and Okaarans, eventually destroying three of the twenty-five worlds in the Vega System before withdrawing from the cosmos almost entirely eons ago.
So, after much discussion and convincing, Kori underwent the same ascension process and became a New God herself.
The transformation elevated her physiology beyond that of an average Kryptonian and granted her the title and power of a New God of Fire.
Not all New Gods possessed divine domains or additional abilities beyond their immense durability and longevity. Joseph himself an example of that.
But Kori absolutely did.
Her starbolts became directly connected to the Source itself, and when they tested her limits in a remote sector of space, her energy output rivaled that of a star, destroying a small barren planet.
Joseph had briefly worried that killing Desaad had somehow made him the New God of Torture without realizing it, but Kori quickly eased his fears.
According to her, when one became a New God, the cosmos itself revealed their title to them. You simply knew.
As a result, Mar'i—daughter of two New Gods—had been born a New God as well.
Thankfully, much like Jonny, her powers hadn't fully manifested yet beyond possessing absurd durability comparable to a tank. So, for now, they didn't have to worry about her accidentally vaporizing her daycare.
Joseph had even asked Orion about it. Apparently, most New Gods only fully awakened their powers after reaching puberty.
"Happy birthday to you!" everyone finished singing together.
Mar'i clapped enthusiastically, bouncing in place.
"Time to blow the candle!" she announced proudly, earning laughter from everyone around her.
She was an exceptionally intelligent little girl and absolutely loved hearing herself talk.
Maybe she inherited that from her grandfather.
"Yes, Mar'i," Kori said warmly. "Make a wish and blow out your candle."
Joseph gently lifted Mar'i onto the table. She squeezed her eyes shut dramatically before blowing.
Instead of extinguishing, the candle's flames suddenly turned bright blue and erupted outward like a flamethrower.
Joseph instantly absorbed the flames before they could touch anyone nearby, his eyes widening in surprise.
That was the Nova Force.
"Yes! I have powers like Mommy and Daddy now!" Mar'i squealed excitedly.
"Mommy, when do I get powers?" Jonny immediately asked Lois.
"I want powers too," Helena whined, causing the entire room to burst into laughter.
Joseph sighed fondly.
An energetic toddler with access to the Nova Force.
This household was about to become far more lively.