Festus

Festus is an old automaton dragon created by the Hephaestus Cabin a long time ago in order to protect Camp Half-Blood. He serves as Leo Valdez's main mode of transportation and, for awhile, the masthead of the Argo II following his destruction. After having been secretly rebuilt by Leo, Festus played a crucial role in the defeat of the Primordial Goddess Gaea and the resurrection of Leo after his sacrifice to destroy her. He continues to serve as Leo's transportation and mobile shop for teaching homeless kids shop skills.
==Origin==
At some time in the past, Festus was created by the Hephaestus Cabin to defend Camp Half-Blood from attack. However, about fifteen years before Percy Jackson's arrival at the camp, Festus malfunctioned and ran off into the woods where he eventually broke down. Over time, Festus' body became buried in the ground and he was lost for a long time.
==Percy Jackson and the Olympians==
===The Bronze Dragon===
During a game of Capture the Flag, Festus' head is found by the Myrmekes and he is reactivated by Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase and Silena Beaurgard in order to save Charles Beckendorf from getting eaten. Beckendorf activates Festus' Attack Mode, sending him on a rampage before Beckendorf and Percy manage to shut him down.
Following this event, he is repaired by the Hephaestus Cabin to aid in defending Camp Half-Blood, but he goes berserk again after Beckendorf's death.
==The Heroes of Olympus==
===The Lost Hero===
In the months since the Battle of Manhattan, Festus has been rampaging uncontrollably through the Camp Half-Blood woods. Leo Valdez, using his immunity to fire, eventually manages to trap and corral the bronze dragon, discovering that he has a corroded control disk. Leo repairs Festus and gives him a pair of wings discovered in Bunker 9. Festus acts as Leo, Jason Grace and Piper McLean's mode of transportation until he's shot down and destroyed by the defenses of King Midas' mansion. With Festus' control disk destroyed, he is damaged beyond any hope of repair and Leo sadly has his father send Festus' head back to Camp Half-Blood for repurposing. Leo later decides to turn Festus' head into the Argo II's masthead.
===The Son of Neptune===
When Percy Jackson sees the Argo II for the first time, he notes that the masthead looks oddly familiar, referencing his encounter with Festus in The Bronze Dragon.
===The Mark of Athena===
Festus acts as the masthead for the Argo II as well as a control interface for the ship. He can also communicate with Leo using Morse Code. Festus has a number of useful abilities such as tracking Celestial Bronze. When a flock of Stymphalian Birds attack the ship, Festus torches them.
After recovering the lost works of Archimedes, Leo is left with the hope of being able to fully repair Festus in the future. Leo hopes that Archimedes' works will allow him to build a new control disk for the bronze dragon, something that had previously been too complicated for Leo to figure out on his own and had prevented any chance of Leo rebuilding his destroyed friend properly.
===The House of Hades===
While Festus is down for maintenance and upgrades, Khione the snow goddess attacks the Argo II and blasts Leo to Ogygia. Using her charmspeak, Piper McLean manages to reactivate Festus who helps to drive off the goddess and her minions. Festus appears to be permanently activated after this and he is described as being "more alive." He is less than pleased when Jason Grace harnesses a team of venti to tow the damaged ship and sits on Festus' head to control them. However, once they are close enough, Festus manages to reactivate the Argo II's damaged engine and bring the ship the rest of the way into Malta.
While trapped on Ogygia, Leo swears to return one day and free Calypso. Leo explains that once he figures out how to properly rebuild Festus, the dragon will be able to handle an improved guidance system. Leo then intends to use Festus and Odysseus' Astrolabe to return to the island for Calypso. However, although Leo had already told her about Festus, Calypso is certain that he can never return as the rules state that no man can find Ogygia twice.
When the Seven reunite, Piper explains how she was able to reactivate Festus using charmspeak. Leo is surprised, stating that it shouldn't be possible unless his upgrades allow the dragon to respond to voice commands. The fact that Festus is now permanently activated pleases Leo who starts talking about the navigation system and the crystal before trailing off.
After the Doors of Death are closed, Leo tinkers with Festus' mechanical brain, muttering something about the crystal and astrolabe as they sail for Athens.
===The Blood of Olympus===
Festus continues to act as the Argo II's masthead and to aid in the battle against Gaea's giants. It's stated that ever since he was woken up permanently by Piper - something that Leo still can't figure out - Festus is more than capable of running the ship by himself. Festus can now navigate, check the radar, make a blueberry smoothie and spew white-hot jets of fire at intruders simultaneously without even blowing a circuit.
When Zeus slaps the ship back to Camp Half-Blood, it is destroyed, apparently taking Leo and Festus with it. However, much to the shock of both the Greeks and the Romans, Leo reappears riding a fully rebuilt and reborn Festus. Jason realizes that Leo's hours of work within the Argo II's hull over the last few weeks were him building Festus a new body within the framework of the ship. Although surprised, Jason is elated to see their old friend in action once more. Festus grapples with Gaea, dragging the Primordial Goddess into the sky where she is left weakened by being separated from her domain with Festus spewing fire at Gaea to help keep her from disintegrating back to Earth. Jason and Piper join Leo and Festus in the sky where Jason uses a storm to contain the goddess and Piper charmspeaks her back to sleep. Once Gaea is asleep again, Leo sacrifices himself to scatter Gaea's essence in a supernova of fire, joined by an onager shot from Octavian. When the blast clears, Gaea is left so scattered that she will hopefully never be able to form a consciousness again, let alone a body, but there is no sign of either Leo or Festus who is presumed destroyed in the blast.
Having survived the explosion, Festus uses the Physician's Cure to resurrect Leo, Leo having outfitted the dragon with the ability to inject him with it. Leo discovers Odysseus' Astrolabe, which he had earlier tied into Festus on a timer, is working and when they descend below the clouds, Leo is elated to find that Festus has brought him back to Ogygia. However, having suffered damage in the explosion, including a broken leg, the dragon makes a rather rough landing. After rescuing Calypso, she, Leo and Festus fly off into the unknown.
==The Trials of Apollo==
===The Hidden Oracle===
Six months after Gaea's destruction, Leo, Calypso and Festus have yet to return, although Leo has managed to send a message to Camp Half-Blood about his resurrection. Apollo helps Leo's half-brother Harley tune a beacon that he has made for Festus to help better guide the others back home.
Following the battle with Nero's automaton, Percy Jackson realizes that the line in the prophecy that "happiness approaches" is a reference to Festus whose name means Happy in Latin. Shortly afterwards, Leo, Calypso and Festus finally arrive thanks to Harley's beacon, having been stuck in the Sea of Monsters until Festus picked up and followed the beacon.
===The Dark Prophecy===
Festus carries Leo, Calypso and Apollo cross-country on the next leg of Apollo's quest to reclaim his Oracles. In Indianapolis, Festus torches the state flag on the capital building and, while dormant in the form of a suitcase, he is captured by Commodus' forces and imprisoned alongside Georgina. Festus is eventually rescued by Leo, Apollo and Meg McCaffrey and returns alongside the Hunters of Artemis to help Apollo. At Apollo's request, Leo reluctantly has Festus carry Lityerses to safety as well, although Leo threatens to have Festus smash Lit against a skyscraper if he misbehaves.
Festus later takes part in the Battle of the Waystation where he is once again destroyed, this time torn apart by Commodus with his bare hands. Leo and Josephine later collect his remains and Apollo gives Leo his condolences. However, Leo finds Festus' destruction to be more of an annoyance than a tragedy, explaining that "I can put him back together easy enough. I redesigned him so he's like a Lego kit, built for quick assembly!"
By dinnertime, Festus has mostly been rebuilt and is enjoying a tub of motor oil and Tabasco sauce on the rooftop. However, Leo is still looking for a few last missing parts, in particular Festus' spleen.
===The Burning Maze===
Festus delivers Leo to an airfield in Santa Monica where he tells Apollo and his companions about the outcome of Caligula's attack on Camp Jupiter.
===The Tower of Nero===
Leo reveals that he has been using Festus as his shop while teaching homeless kids shop skills at a local shelter. Leo tells Apollo that Festus makes a great mobile shop and, due to the Mist, most of the kids just see Festus as a truck. However, a few are able to see through the Mist and see Festus in his true form as a bronze dragon.
Category:Rick Riordan Heroes
Category:Book Heroes
Category:Male
Category:Fighters
Category:Protectors
Category:Pure Good
Category:Self-Aware
Category:Fantasy Heroes
Category:Dragons
Category:Chaotic Good
Category:Artificial Intelligence
Category:Magic