Frank Zhang

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 Emily Zhang 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 mortal military soldier, Emily Zhang. From his mother, he is a descendant of Periclymenus, who was a grandson of Poseidon and a member of the Argonauts. He 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 in Afghanistan.

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 Frank arrived at Camp, his grandmother instructed him to go to the Praetor and tell her that his great-grandfather was Shen Lun and to beg forgiveness for what Shen Lun did, though she refused to tell him what he did. When Frank arrived at camp, he went to Reyna and did as he was instructed. Reyna told him she judged people by their own merits, 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 uses the water of the Tiber River to forge giants hands, causing the Gorgons to release Frank as Percy finally destroyed them by ripping them apart in large whirlpools. Hazel helps pull him to safety after the whirlpools Percy created.

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 destroys the water cannons. Frank then climbs up the wall and starts taking out the opposing team using his specialty made arrows. 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 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 if he is in a life or death situation. He battles the giant, Alcyoneus and defeats him with Hazel's help (and due to the fact that he transformed into an eagle, a bear, and an elephant). 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.

Reaching the hills above Camp Jupiter, Frank gets to meet Tyson, who considers him another brother, and Mrs. O'Leary. Together they charge into battle against Polybotes's army. Frank takes the lead of the Fifth cohort and uses his shapeshifting powers to destroy enemies and defend camp.

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

The Mark of Athena
During the disarray in Camp Jupiter, after the Argo II fires upon the Romans, Frank turns into a dragon in order to save Piper McLean and Jason Grace, who were knocked unconscious by the angry mob. He than carries them safely to the deck of the fleeing Argo II. While Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Coach Hedge are helping Piper and Jason below deck, Frank is guarding Leo Valdez. He is suspicious towards him and asks him if his name is really Leo, and not Sammy Valdez, and gets a negative response.

Frank cannot help but be amazed by the ship as Leo takes him through decks while he estimates damage done to the vessel. When the Argo II docks on the Salt Lake in Utah, Frank goes with Percy and Annabeth to the city to find some tar for repairs, not satisfied that Leo and Hazel are going together to look for celestial bronze and lime.

After Percy and Annabeth fall asleep together in the stables, Frank is the one who finds them and tells them they are in trouble. Shortly after, the team decides that Percy, Frank and Coach Hedge should go look for Phorcys. Inside the Aquarium, Frank and Percy expect a trap, as a tourist guide named Kate, takes them to Phorcys. When they arrive, Kate leads Coach Hedge further into the complex while talking about different monsters, and leaves Frank and Percy alone with Phorcys. When Phorcys traps them both in a big water tank, Frank turns into a koi goldfish, so he could breathe. Luckily, Coach Hedge comes to their aid and together they escape back to the Argo II.

When the team decides to go to Charleston, Leo dispatches Buford carrying dirty laundry, including Frank's only reserve pants, to distract Roman Eagles. Later on the way to Charleston, Frank goes to Annabeth's room and asks her to help him understand the Chinese Hand Cuffs and unknowingly gives her advice that will help her survive in future.

Arriving at a harbor in Charleston, the team splits up again. Annabeth, Hazel and Piper go to The Battery, Percy goes underwater to speak to water spirits, and Frank, Leo and Jason go to the Civil War museum. Shortly after, they are all attacked by Romans and have to fight at Fort Sumter to escape.

Right before the Argo II gets attacked by skolopendra, Frank gets furious learning that Leo and Hazel held each other's hands. While Frank and Leo are trapped in Camp Fish-Blood, they have a conversation where Leo explains why he and Hazel held hands and Frank confesses his "burning stick" curse to Leo.

In the Mediterranean Sea, they get ambushed and boarded by Chrysaor and his dolphin men. Everyone except Frank get captured while Percy duels Chrysaor. Frank than helps Percy frighten the dolphin men, causing them to abandon the Argo II and their captain in panic.

When they arrive in Rome, they dock the ship in a park. Percy goes with Annabeth to escort her to her mission, Piper, Jason and Coach Hedge stay at the ship and Frank, Hazel and Leo go looking for Nico. When Hazel discovers a secret doorway that could possibly lead them to the location of Nico, Frank and Leo wait above the entrance while she explores the tunnels. Leo than offers his help to Frank in finding a solution to his curse. They get attacked by Eidolons, but quickly lose them by following Hazel. In Archimedes's workshop, Eidolons take control of automatons and quickly knock Frank and Hazel unconscious. Two of them are saved by Leo cracking open the fortune cookie he got from Nemesis. After that, Frank turns into a weasel and digs a way to the surface where he called Coach Hedge to help Leo and Hazel get to the surface as well. Then they went to help Percy, Jason and Piper in defeating Otis and Ephialtes, and save Annabeth.

Personality
Frank is somewhat cynical and pessimistic due to personal clumsiness and his 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.

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.

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 masterful in shooting. It is still unknown whether he is good or not in using other weapons, although given that children of Mars/Ares are weapon experts then Frank more than likely is proficient 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, seal, a dragon, a crow, an iguana, a snake, a koi goldfish, and a dolphin.

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 Percy used 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 descendant of Poseidon, Frank's life is connected to a piece of fire wood. If the stick ever burns up, 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 that held 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 enough 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. They are boyfriend and girlfriend, and started dating at the end of The Son of Neptune.

Annabeth Chase
Though there are few interactions between Frank and Annabeth, it is obvious that Frank respects and trusts her. When Leo teased him about Chinese handcuffs, he went to Annabeth for help in trying to figure out how to beat them. Annabeth later uses his advice to help her defeat Arachne. Frank was upset when she and Percy both fell in to Tartarus.

Leo Valdez
Frank disliked Leo, partly because he was afraid of how he could manipulate fire, and because of his relationship with Hazel. Frank often walks in on Hazel and Leo talking. When they were at the great Salt Lake, Frank scowled when he found out Leo was going with Hazel to get Celestial bronze and lime. When they were attacked by the skolopendra, Leo forgets the Sonar and Coach Hedge complained: 'Maybe if you hadn't been staring into Hazel's eyes, holding hands for so long-'. Frank became very angry and demanded an explanation. He also argues with Leo a lot, like when Hazel was pinpointing her brother, Nico's location in Rome. Frank agreed to accompany her but when she invited Leo to come too, 'His smile turned into something more like Chrysaor's mask' as Percy puts it. However, near the end of The Mark of Athena they seem to have made up, and act like friends.

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 because Tyson doesn't quite understand exactly how they are related. Throughout The Son of Neptune, Percy and Frank remain good friends, and Percy is constantly supporting Frank and making him feel better about himself.

Tyson
Tyson and Frank have a short lived relationship but Tyson likes Frank and calls him his brother.

Emily Zhang
Frank loves his mother a lot, and she loves him. After she died in the war, he was shattered. He is shown to care about her a lot.

Grandma Zhang
Although Grandma Zhang seems harsh, she really does care about Frank, and Frank cares about her. He was very worried for her safety when her house was surrounded.

Etymology

 * Frank is a name derived from a spear that was used by a Germanic people of the same name.
 * Zhang (張) comes from the Chinese word for "Bow-maker," as well as "Master of bows." It is the third most common Chinese name and can also be written as Chang, Jang, Cheung, or Chong (which all above is written as "張"). Zhang is also used as a first name in China.
 * His name also means call in Persian.

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 (Cajun 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 a 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" (西遊記) where monsters and demons wish to eat the flesh of main character Xuanzang (唐三藏) to gain immortality.
 * His name is a reference to the weapons he uses, the spear and bow. Frank is a name that originated from the Germanic tribe called the Franks, who got their name from the type of spear they used. Also in Chinese, the last name Zhang can mean archer or drawing a bow.
 * 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 (besides Hylla and Reyna) to not be born in the United States, the country the gods currently live in, as he was born in Vancouver, 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 flat-topped wedge haircut, but in his official picture he has a crew cut.
 * Vitellius told Frank that his archery was unmanly but this is very inaccurate as battlefield archery only went out of practice after Rome fell in the 5th century. Until then Rome created some of the best mounted bow like catapults (ex. the Balista).
 * Frank met Mars, his father, five days after the fifth anniversary of when Percy, Annabeth, and Grover first met Ares.
 * Frank is the only known demigod to be a school spelling bee champion.