| “ | Well, not bad for a middle aged mortal, I suppose. | ” |
–Dr. Chase after helping his daughter and her companions escape from Mount Tamalpais in The Titan's Curse. | ||
Dr. Frederick Chase is the American and Military History professor at West Point. He is the mortal father of Greek demigod Annabeth Chase and her half-brothers, Bobby Chase and Matthew Chase, brother of Randolph and Natalie Chase, and husband of Mrs. Chase.
History
Early life
Frederick was the second son and middle child of Mr. and Mrs. Chase. During his childhood, Frederick lived in his family mansion in Boston, Massachusetts, which his older brother Randolph would later inherit.
Despite his brilliant mind and desire to learn, Frederick didn't have enough money to go to college during his youth. However, his brilliance gained the attention of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, who helped him get into Harvard University. He finished his studies successfully with her help. Frederick's friendship with Athena eventually turned into a platonic romance, which ended on good terms.
Family life
Athena sent Frederick their demigod daughter, Annabeth, who was born from the thoughts of the goddess. Annabeth appeared on his doorstep in a golden cradle carried down from Olympus by Zephyros, the West Wind. Frederick originally wanted Athena to take Annabeth back, but she sternly told him that demigods must be raised by their mortal parent.
Five years later, Frederick married an Asian woman and had two sons, Bobby and Matthew. Due to Annabeth being a demigod, their family was frequently attacked by monsters. As a result, Annabeth ran away from home at the young age of seven, thinking that her mortal family resented her for the attacks. She later made it to Camp Half-Blood. From camp, Annabeth would communicate with Frederick mostly in letter form, as phones were too dangerous for a demigod. Frederick would occasionally ask his daughter to return home, but she always refused.
Annabeth eventually returned home at her father's request but left when she saw that nothing had changed. Frederick then sent his Harvard class ring to his daughter, in hopes that she would remember him by it and be convinced to come back. Annabeth started to wear his ring on her necklace with the beads that she earned every year at Camp Half-Blood.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Lightning Thief
Frederick and his family were seen by Percy from a distance at the end of the summer when Annabeth decided to go home for the school year.
The Sea of Monsters
Frederick is seen by his daughter, along with Athena and Luke, in a vision induced by the Sirens.
The Titan's Curse
Annabeth accompanied Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace to assist Grover Underwood with two new demigods, Nico and Bianca, at a military school. Annabeth told Percy that her father was moving to San Francisco, but that she was unsure whether to go because the area contained the Titan base of Mount Othrys and was, therefore, thriving with monsters. During the mission, Annabeth went missing and Percy went on a quest to save the goddess Artemis to find her.
In San Francisco, Thalia suggested they visit Annabeth's family for transportation. The revelation of his daughter's disappearance shocked Dr. Chase, who agreed to give the questers his car, which they unintentionally destroyed. After rescuing Artemis, the group was gravely endangered by a fleet of monsters, but Dr. Chase flew in on his plane - a Sopwith Camel - and ignored the warnings given to stay away. Using special bullets he created out of some of Annabeth's Celestial Bronze weapons, he shot and destroyed several members of Luke's monster army, ensuring that the demigods would escape. He also saw Blackjack, Guido, and Porkpie without any difficulty and questioned how the Pegasi could fly with their body mass v.s. wingspan ratio.
In the end, Frederick was relieved that his daughter was safe and reminded her she still had a home with him just before Annabeth left with Percy and Thalia on some pegasi.
The Last Olympian
Percy thinks of Dr. Chase when he and Annabeth are alone in the Athena Cabin.
The Heroes of Olympus
The Mark of Athena
Annabeth mentions her father when she met Tiberinus and Rhea Silvia in Rome, as they had appeared as actors in a movie she had watched with him, Roman Holiday.
The House of Hades
Annabeth thinks of her father while traveling through Tartarus.
The Blood of Olympus
Annabeth remembers the time she used to hate her mortal family and says it was stupid of her to think that way for so long. She then remembered her uncle and cousin living in Boston, whom she hadn't seen for eleven years, due to her father not getting along with his brother after a quarrel.
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
The Sword of Summer
Eleven years after his quarrel with his siblings, Fredrick and Annabeth are looking for his sister's son, Magnus, after being contacted by Randolph that Magnus has been missing for two years since his mother's death. They walk right past him and decide to check a local shelter. After Magnus' funeral, Frederick flies back to San Francisco.
The Hammer of Thor
Fredrick was mentioned when Magnus was looking at a picture of him and his siblings.
The Ship of the Dead
Magnus states that Fredrick was contacted by his brother's lawyer soon after Randolph died.
Appearance
Frederick is described as a handsome, athletic, middle-aged man. He has intense brown eyes and sandy-colored hair like that of his daughter.
Personality
Frederick is a fairly normal mortal, though with a genius-level intellect. He most likely caught Athena's attention by his fascination with wars and his love for airplanes.
Abilities
- Genius Intellect: Like his daughter, Frederick is extremely intelligent. He was admitted in Harvard, specializing in military, airplanes, and history. Percy once described Dr. Chase as an "excellent mad scientist" because of his effective experiment with Celestial Bronze bullets.
- Clear Sight: Frederick is one of the few mortals who can see through the Mist.
Relationships
Family
Randolph Chase, his older brother.
Frederick's elder brother, the two were close to each other in their younger years. However one Thanksgiving they had a falling out with each other and their sister that resulted in the three not speaking to one another for eleven years before The Sword of Summer.
His reaction to learning about Randolph's death is unknown, however it is likely that he grieved for him. It is unknow just how much Fredrick learned about Randolph's actions with Loki, if at all.
Natalie Chase, his sister.
Annabeth Chase, his daughter.
Frederick was surprised that he had an infant daughter to care for and tried to get Athena to take her back as he didn't know their relationship would result in a brain child. He didn't have enough time to take care of her, but Athena sternly told him that demigods must be raised by their mortal parent. Still, Frederick loved Annabeth despite not spending too much time together in her childhood. His family was attacked by monsters due to his daughter being a demigod, so she thought that her mortal family resented her for this and ran away. This action broke his heart, so the next he saw her, Frederick gave Annabeth his university ring so she would remember him and might return to their home. When the Sirens sang to Annabeth, she saw her father and her mother together again and happy.
In The Titan's Curse, it seems Frederick's relationship with Annabeth is getting better. By The Last Olympian, she seems to be living with their family again, though this isn't for certain because she is going to go to a school in New York near Percy's and her family lives in San Francisco. By the events of The Mark of Athena, the two pass more time together and learnt more about each other, including his "sappy side." In The Sword of Summer, Annabeth expresses to Magnus that she dislikes having to lie to her father about Magnus, as she is trying to be honest with him now.Love Interests
Athena, the mother of his daughter.
Frederick's brilliance and wit drew the attention of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. She helped him get into college, which allowed to finish his studies successfully. Their friendship eventually turned into a platonic romance, which ended with the both of them on good terms.
As mentioned in The House of Hades, many years later, Frederick confessed to their daughter that he still loves Athena. According to Annabeth, "he had looked so sad and defeated, wishing for something he knew was impossible."His wife and his twins' mother, whom he married when Annabeth was five. The two love each other very much. She didn't mind being the bad cop in raising the children.
Etymology
- Frederick is the English variant of the Germanic name “Friedrich“ meaning “peaceful ruler”.
- Chase'' is an English surname derived from the Old English word for “hunt”.
Trivia
- Frederick has Swedish Ancestry, being a descendant of Swedish royalty.
- According to Percy, Frederick "plays with toy soldiers". In other words, he makes models of WWI battles. However, it is said that he sometimes plays with them, making the shooting, explosion sound effects and other things along the line of that.
- He is interested in collecting war souvenirs, such as his Sopwith Camel biplanes from World War I.
- His favorite movie is the romantic comedy "Roman Holiday" from the 1950s. According to Annabeth, it reminds her father of his own romance with Athena.
- He is the only Chase sibling to have no apparent connection with the Norse Pantheon.
- He is the only Chase sibling to still be alive.
- He also is the only Chase sibling whose children are still technically alive.
- Both Frederick and his brother Randolph were history professors at one point in their lives.