Anti-Hero || Leo Valdez

35 - Net Boi Nets Me (With a Net)

Via's project trying to make Festus more anatomically accurate went better than she'd expected.

The biggest issue was the design of the dragon's limbs. Via claimed they should recreate the dragon's shoulder joints so they'd be more like a reptile's. At first, Nyssa had been skeptical about it, saying that it was a great idea but there was no way it was possible.

"I know it's possible," Via said. "We just have to install something that'll work like a ball-and-socket joint in his shoulders instead of the hinge joint he has now."

"I don't think Leo would appreciate us changing up Festus like that," Nyssa said.

"If he doesn't, he can always go back to the original design," Pat spoke up. "Leo rebuilt him to be like a Lego set. Legos can have interchangeable parts."

"Okay, fine," Nyssa conceded. "But if he gets mad, I'm blaming you two."

"I'm blaming Via," Pat said. "You know, cuz it was her idea."

"Nice to know you always have my back, shithead," Via said, socking him in the shoulder. "Okay, let's get to work."

And so, the three of them spent all of their free time during the next week and a half working on Via's project. Referencing a book on reptilian anatomy and an old, crumbling blueprint of Festus Via had found in one of the Bunker's countless rooms, they pieced the bronze dragon back together.

Nyssa had them start by building the dragon's body, everything but the limbs, tail, head, and wings. Via focused on Festus' mechanical innards, including his engine and his version of a nervous system. Via kept the references she'd drawn from her research on reptilian anatomy on her at all times and adjusted things here and there when necessary.

After a few failed test runs and several scrapped prototypes, Via's design was successful. Festus' mobility was much better — he could rotate his entire arm and extend it away from his body and, thanks to Pat's suggestion to give him gecko feet, climb up walls.

Festus seemed to really appreciate it, too, and he demonstrated his appreciation for Via's work by nuzzling up to her whenever he got the chance. He was like a huge dog; he seemed to think he was much smaller than he actually was, especially when he wanted to put his head in Via's lap so she could pet him.

Via found the whole thing adorable and loved on him whenever she saw him. She even started talking to him in a baby voice and called him nicknames like "Bubba" and "Cuddle Bug." Pat teased her about it, but she hadn't had a dog to dote on in a few years, so she thought she had the right to do so with Festus.

Now that Via was finished with the dragon, she and Pat could hang out with Lou Ellen and Cecil (Will was holed up in the infirmary and Nico preferred to be with him for some "quality time"). They spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and talking about the Capture-the-Flag game that was coming up that night. Via and Pat were excited; they hadn't played Capture-the-Flag in over a year. Apollo's cabin and Hermes' cabin were normally on opposite sides since they were the two cabins with the most campers, but since school was in, there were only a handful of Apollo campers, so they were all on the same team.

"So it's gonna be the three of our cabins on team red with Ares, Aphrodite, Hypnos, Nemesis, and Nike," Cecil said.

"Damn," Pat said. "That's a pretty good lineup."

"Sure, but remember, team blue has Athena and Hephaestus," Lou Ellen said. They're the crafty ones."

"We've got you and Hermes," Via said, waving that off. "That's plenty of crafty. We're totally gonna win."

"So how's Festus 2.0 coming along?" Cecil asked.

"Dude, we are so past 2.0," Pat told him. "5.0 is probably more accurate."