These are non-canon stories for Favor of Athena

In Columbia, South Carolina, the morning sun spilled golden light across Riverfront Park, illuminating the path where Athena marched briskly, phone in one hand and a half-eaten croissant in the other. She was late for her first coffee meet-up with Waldo, her new freelance co-worker, and felt the heat of the day settle over her.

“Waldo!” she yelled out, spotting his loping figure by the water’s edge, the sunlight playing tricks with his shaggy hair. “You better have gotten cream for my coffee!”

“Only if you share your croissant!” he shot back, grinning. “Or did you eat it all by yourself?”

As Athena reached him, she offered half of her pastry with a mock-serious expression. “The price of caffeine is steep!”

Just then, a rustle of laughter announced the arrival of Salem and Paige, their shadows merging beside Waldo. Salem, with her perpetual notebook, scribbled something down as Paige dramatically gestured.

“And then he dropped the sandwich!” Paige exclaimed, eyes dancing. “Like, how do you even manage that?”

“I could manage it, but I’d have brought my own farm-fresh sandwich instead of his deli disaster,” Salem replied, suppressing a smile.

“Is this another entry for your ‘Culinary Catastrophes’ section?” Athena asked, her tone teasing.

“Absolutely,” Salem shot back, with a finger raised like a teacher correcting the class. “It’s about enlightening the appetite, you know.”

Liam strolled over, just a few steps behind, hands stuffed in his pockets. He puffed out an amused breath. “I don’t get it, how do you people find narratives in so much fluff?”

“Because life is the fluffiest of stories!” Gertrude piped up, appearing seemingly from nowhere, a large tote bag slung over her shoulder, filled to the brim with art supplies. “And I’m going to prove it!”

“By painting? Right here?” Grant asked, glancing skeptically at the scene unfolding. His brow furrowed; conflicting sensations bubbled beneath the surface of his normally calm demeanor.

“Of course,” Gertrude said, exuding a mix of mischief and passion. “Every great artist knows when to seize the moment—or seize the light, I’m in a punny mood today.”

“Light and shadows, huh?” Grant replied, shaking his head, but a smile crept into the corners of his mouth. He often wrestled between the idea of realism and letting go for a touch of whimsy.

Salem smirked, turning to Grant. “Maybe you could define light for us? You know, give us the scientific explanation before Gertrude dazzles us with colors.”

“In my spare time, I’ll be a luminous philosopher,” he smirked back.

The group settled on a patch of grass while Gertrude set up her easel. Shadows shifted with the sun, creating a dance of light over their faces. As Gertrude dipped her brush into the paint, she looked up and said, “This is how the world sees us. Sunlight for joy and shadows for depth.”

“Speak for yourself, art girl! My sunlight is in a triple espresso,” Waldo said.

“Oh yeah?” Paige quipped. “More like a shadow of regret from all those late nights.”

“Hey! It’s ‘creative spirit’! Sounds better,” he laughed, reflexively deflecting the playful jab.

As laughter echoed through Riverfront Park, Athena grew contemplative. She leaned back on her palms, the warm grass soothing her restlessness. She glanced at her friends, each bringing chaos, darkness, and light into her day, illuminating what she often concealed: vulnerability, ambition, hope.

“Let’s promise to spark more chaos like this,” she proclaimed suddenly, looking from one face to another.

“Sounds like a revolution!” Liam added, widening his eyes in mock seriousness. “Let’s overthrow the mundane!”

“Okay, let’s not abandon the mundane just yet,” she retorted. “I still have an appointment with my planner later.” They chuckled, and Gertrude snapped a shot of the merry scene forming on the canvas.

As the afternoon slipped away, shadows stretched longer across the park, mingling and wrapping around the laughter and stories being traded like currency. In that moment, everyone felt a part of something larger—held together by shades of sunlight and shadows—bonded in the delight of an ordinary day made extraordinary by friendship.