Festus, bronze dragon and sentient automaton, has been through a lot in his life. Originally created to protect Camp Half-Blood, he malfunctioned, broke apart, and became prize fodder for a nest of metal-loving Myrmekes (giant ants). He was restored to full working order by Charles Beckendorf, son of Hephaestus—only to glitch out and terrorize the camp after Beckendorf died tragically. He is captured, reprogrammed, and restored to glory by Leo Valdez—only to be destroyed by laser beams while flying over King Midas’s mansion. Leo turns his head into the masthead of the Argo II, and from this vantage point, Festus guides the ship through many adventures—only to be blown up in the final battle of the gods against Gaea and the giants. Leo refused to let his faithful metal companion end his days as scrap, and soon had Festus sailing the skies again. But for how long?