Frank Zhang

"If I'm going to burn, it might as well be bright."

- Frank

Frank Zhang (also known as Fai Zhang by Grandma Zhang), is a Roman demigod of Camp Jupiter and one of the main protagonists in The Heroes of Olympus series. He is the son of Mars and the legacy of Poseidon. Frank is one of the seven demigods mentioned in the Prophecy of Seven.



History
Frank is the son of Mars and a mortal soldier, Emily Zhang. From his mother, he is a descendant of Periclymenus, who was the grandson of Poseidon and a member of the Argonauts who was blessed by the god with the power to shift into any kind of animal from human form. In the absence of his immortal father, Frank's grandmother helped to raise him after his mother died in a military accident.

Frank combined his ancestral gift with the powers that he inherited from his divine parent. As such, he was considered to be dangerously powerful, and it was decreed that he would have a short life. At the night of his birth, Juno appeared to his family and pointed out a piece of timber in the hearth, warning that if it was burned entirely he would die.

His grandmother gave him the piece of firewood when she knew that he would soon be leaving to go to Camp Jupiter. Lupa and her wolf pack arrived at the Zhang Mansion and he went through the usual process of proving his strength at the Wolf Manor. Frank arrived at Camp Jupiter about a month after Jason Grace disappeared and was still on Probatio when Percy Jackson arrived. When he arrived at Camp, his grandmother instructed him to go to the Praetor and say his great-grandfather was Shen Lun and beg forgiveness for what he did, though she refused to tell him what he did do. When Frank arrived at camp, he went to Reyna and did as hid grandmother said. Reyna told him she judged people by their own personality, not what their ancestors did. However, she did tell him not to mention Shen Lun to the other Campers at Camp Jupiter, as they'd be less forgiving than her.

The Son of Neptune
When Percy reaches Camp Jupiter, one of the Gorgons gets hold of Frank. Percy then uses his hydrokenisis to sweep up the river and forces them to release the demigod before sucking them into whirlpools and crushing them with giant hands shaped out of water. Hazel helps pull him to safety after the whirlpools Percy created calm down. Frank has always been good at archery and hoped that it would be Apollo who would claim him, especially since he's only been at Camp Jupiter for six weeks after the death of his mother, Emily Zhang. Frank later meets up with Hazel and Percy again and they work together in the evening's war games. Frank has Hazel guide them through the tunnels underneath the fortifications and Percy to destroy the water cannons. His efforts enable his cohort to break into the building and earn him an award for being the first to get on the fortifications. The three of them make a win for their the Fifth Cohort.

After the games are over Mars appears and claims Frank as his son. He also reveals Thanatos' capture and issues a quest to free him. Frank is then subsequently proclaimed a centurion by Reyna and the Senators of Camp Jupiter. He chooses Hazel and Percy to go along with him. During the journey, Frank harbors a secret that his life will end in flame on a piece of wood due to so many powers that he possesses. During the time Frank enters one of Hazel's blackouts, he tells Hazel about his firewood lifeline and entrusts the piece of firewood to her. Along the way, Gaea plays with Frank, knowing that he is one of the Seven that will be her downfall. Frank finds confidence thanks to the goddess of rainbows, Iris, and battles three Basilisks alone. Using Mars' spear, he summons Gray, a vicious fighting skeleton who destroys the basilisks.

When the group finally reaches Canada, he speaks with Mars and Grandma Zhang who encourage him to find his hidden power and save his friends. He later finds that he has the ability to change into animals due to him being a legacy of Poseidon. However, the animal has to be within reason and this ability works best if he knows the animal well and he is in a life or death situation. He battles the giant, Alcyoneus and defeats him with Hazel's help. He is able to free Thanatos at the cost of the timber which his life is tied to, making it much smaller but not gone. He also harbors feelings for Hazel, which is mutual, and the two finally share a kiss as they win the battle against Alcyoneus just outside of Alaska.

He gathers with the campers in the Forum upon the arrival of Camp Half-Blood in the Argo II.

The Mark of Athena
While arriving at Camp Jupiter on the Argo II, Annabeth saw Percy on the ground with his arms around Frank and Hazel, as if they were old friends.

Appearance
Frank has a large and stocky frame. He is Asian-Canadian and has a babyish face with brown eyes and black short hair which, Percy states, seems out of place with his stout body and military haircut. He is also described, by Hazel, as looking like a Koala bear with muscles. His Camp Jupiter tattoo is composed of an image of two crossed spears above the initials SPQR and a single bar line beneath, given to him as a requirement for centurionship, despite the fact that he had not been a part of Camp Jupiter for an entire year.

Personality
Frank is somewhat cynical and pessimistic due to personal clumsiness and low self-esteem. However, he tempers these more negative traits with a strong sense of duty and loyalty. In addition, Frank is courageous and a natural battlefield commander.

Abilities
Physical Powers: Frank is very strong and swift. He can use his weight to his advantage, crashing into enemies like a bowling ball.

Demigod Abilities
Archery: Frank's weapon of choice is a bow and arrow. Being the son of Mars, the war god, he is extremely accurate and above proficient in shooting. It is still unknown whether he is good or not in using other weapons.

Tactician: Frank has been shown to have great skill in battle planning and leadership. It is also the gift that Mars gave him.

Legacy Abilities
Shape-Shifting: Frank has the limited ability to change into any animal he wishes, mythical or real. However this ability is easier to use during times of danger and battle or if he knows the animal well. The animal itself is also much stronger if Frank knows it well. Frank has so far turned into an elephant, an eagle, a grizzly bear, a weasel, and a seal.

Magical Items
Frank's Spear: A gift from the god Mars, before Frank left on his quest. The spear is tipped with a dragon tooth, allowing Frank to summon the spartus Gray. The spear however only had three charges so that Frank had enough time to learn his family gift. After the third charge was used, the spear vanished.

Arrows: Being a skilled archer, Frank managed to design different kinds of arrows for different functions. For example, his Hydra Arrows could string together enemies, tying them up or pinning them to walls. Frank also carries around Imperial Gold arrows in case of monster attacks.

Gorgon Blood: Before using the vials of blood in a bet with Phineas, Frank carried around two bottles of Gorgon Blood, one of them healed while the other killed. Frank picked up the vials after Percy killed the Gorgons. While Frank wanted to use them to prevent his life stick from burning, Percy thought that he picked them up because he didn't want Percy to be seen carrying poison into Camp Jupiter.

Burned Stick: Because Frank is too powerful, being the son of Mars and being a descendent of Poseidon, Frank's life is connected to a piece of fire wood. If the stick ever goes out, Frank will die. Frank gave the stick to Hazel Levesque as he was told giving it to someone he trusts could prolong his life. The stick burns with the fire of life, allowing Frank to melt the chains hold death.

Hazel Levesque
Without a doubt, Frank is head over heels in love with this daughter of Pluto. Their common ground stems from them both being outcasts and understanding what little there is tying one another to life. She thinks he is funny and even mentioned that he makes a very handsome elephant. They even kiss right after the battle against Alcyoneus in Alaska. Hazel knows about Frank's secret about the piece of wood that his life depends on. Frank even trusts Hazel to give the piece of wood to her for safekeeping. Also when Hazel takes Frank into a blackout and he was shown what Hazel would have looked like if she had lived the first time, he said to Hazel that she was going to grow into a beautiful woman before blushing.

Mars
Frank's relationship with his father is a complicated one. His father obviously cares about him, and feels immense pride in his son, though Frank is somewhat put off by his father, both for his boasting of Frank and his skill and for Mars being the God of War since Frank lost his mother to war. However, Frank slowly comes to accept that he is the son of the war God, and is given not only a spartus summoning spear, but his mother's favorite book: The Art of War, by Sun Tzu. Mars encourages his son to use his mind in a battle rather than pure guts.

Percy Jackson
Percy and Frank have a very brotherly relationship. They are both related through Periclymenus, though Percy would be Frank's "Great a thousand times" Uncle. When Percy tries to explain this to Tyson, he caves and says that Frank is his brother. Throughout The Son of Neptune, Percy and Frank remain good friends, and Percy is constantly supporting Frank and making him feel better about himself.

Etymology
Frank is a name derived from a spear that was used by a Germanic people of the same name.

Zhang comes from the Chinese word for "Bow-maker," as well as "Master of bows."

Trivia

 * Frank has both Roman and Greek lineage because his ancestor is Poseidon, a Greek god, and his father is Mars, a Roman god.
 * Among the seven heroes, he is one of three, along with Hazel Levesque (French) and Leo Valdez (Spanish & Morse code), who speaks a language not inherent from their respective godly parents, because Frank can speak Canadian French.
 * He is apparently an exception among demigods as he is diagnosed with neither ADHD nor Dyslexia. Instead he is lactose-intolerant.
 * His favorite meal for breakfast is poached egg and bacon on toast with a glass of orange juice.
 * Like the Greek hero Meleager, his life force is connected to a piece of wood and he will die if it is ever completely burned.
 * The ogres at Grandma Zhang's house who wanted to eat Frank to gain his powers may be a reference to the Chinese legend the "Journey to the West" where monsters and demons wish to eat the flesh of main character Xuanzang to gain immortality.
 * His last name is a reference to the weapons he uses, the bow and arrow.
 * He's related to Percy Jackson through his mother, Emily, as her family descends from Periclymenus—a grandson of Poseidon.
 * Frank is the only known character that is a demigod, but also a legacy.
 * Frank is also the only known demigod to not be born in the United States, the country the gods currently live in, as he was born in Canada.
 * Before he was claimed by Mars, he hoped that Apollo would claim him.
 * Frank was the only demigod who in The Son of Neptune did not have strange demigod dreams.
 * In The Son of Neptune it says that Frank has a flatop but in his offical picture he has a shaved head.
 * Vitellius told Frank that his archery was unmanly but this is very inaccurate as battlefeild archery only went out of practice after Rome fell in the 5th century untill then Rome created some of the best mounted bow like catapults (ex. the Balista).