| “ | Don't worry about me. I will die in my own time, in my own way. | ” |
–Grandma Zhang to Frank in The Son of Neptune. | ||
Grandma Zhang is the mother of Emily Zhang and the grandmother of Frank Zhang. She lived in the Zhang Mansion in Canada for most of her life until it was destroyed. She is a descendant of Periclymenus the Argonaut.
History[]
Not much is known about her past, including her first name. Shortly after her grandson's birth, she sat at the fireplace with her daughter Emily Zhang, where they were visited by Juno. Grandma Zhang recognized her as a goddess, but thought that she was mistaken when Juno informed them of Frank's future importance. Juno also warned them about how Frank's life would be tied to a stick. The goddess pointed to a piece of driftwood in the fireplace. Grandma Zhang quickly rescued the piece of wood. Regardless of her skepticism, her daughter protected her son's life-stick and passed it down to her mother when she left to fight in the war. After her daughter's death, Grandma Zhang informed Frank about their family history and that his father is a god, before passing him off to Lupa in order to be trained.
The Heroes of Olympus[]
The Son of Neptune[]
Grandma Zhang is first mentioned in Frank's flashbacks, when Frank is shooting her porcelain collection with arrows before his mother's funeral. She asks him to come in and explains about his curse of the Argonauts, and also tries to explain his gift. When the conversation is finished, they go to Emily Zhang's funeral. She also tells him how his life is connected to a piece of firewood Juno had given them shortly after Frank's birth. Shortly after, a group of wolves take Frank away, bringing him to the Wolf House , then leading him to Camp Jupiter.
A few months after he left, a group of Laistrygonian Giants sent by Gaea were told that they could gain the Zhang family gift by eating Frank Zhang. A group of them set up camp around Grandma Zhang's house, waiting for him to arrive. She knew that it was too dangerous, so she sent the house keeper away to keep her safe while she herself slowly began to die.
Poseidon, her ancestor
Fortunately, Frank and his new friends, Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque, and Ella the harpy, went to her house after fleeing from the Amazons. When they realized what was happening, they planned a rescue.
Inside the house, after speaking with his father Mars, Frank spoke with his grandmother. Finally, she explained to Frank his curse, and told him and Mars that she was ready to die. Shortly after, the Laistrygonians set her house ablaze.
When Frank and his allies escaped from Zhang's house, a tiny black bird was seen flying from the second story window. It is possible that this is Grandma Zhang, who may have transformed into a bird to escape the flames, this has not been confirmed.
The Mark of Athena[]
Grandma Zhang is briefly mentioned by Frank, explaining to Annabeth that he was not sure if his grandmother was alive or not as she was old and sick and the mansion burned down. However, he recalled seeing a bird fly above the house, as it burned down so he assumed she had gotten away, hinting that his entire family had the gift of shapeshifting.
The Blood of Olympus[]
After meeting his shapeshifting relatives on Pylos, Frank is disappointed by their reaction to him, particularly as his grandmother had told Frank that he would bring their family full circle.
Appearance[]
Grandma Zhang is an elderly woman of Chinese decent with gray hair.
Personality[]
Zhang was very strict and often seemed cold towards Frank. However, she did indeed care for him as when Frank left, she stated that Frank had made her proud. She also had to hold back her tears when she told Frank that he had to leave, which emphasizes her grandmotherly feelings towards her grandson even though she tried to hide these through her stiff and correct posture. Apparently, there is a softer side to her, as Hazel claims to have "loved" Frank's grandmother after meeting her.
Abilities[]
- Multilingualism: Aside from English. Grandma Zhang can also speak varieties of Chinese. She briefly launches into an angry tirade in Mandarin and refers to Juno as a gwai po (鬼婆) in The Son of Neptune, which is an offensive phrase in Cantonese referring to an older White woman.
Trivia[]
- Grandma Zhang's given name is unknown in the series. It's implied that her maiden name is 'Shen' and that 'Zhang' is her married name, since her daughter Emily inherited it as her surname.
- Oddly, Grandma Zhang mentioned Chinese Gods in the same light as the Greco-Roman Gods.
- Grandma Zhang was proudly Chinese, and was annoyed that Frank's name isn't Chinese, so she calls him "Fai".
- It is unknown whether Grandma Zhang died in The Son of Neptune when the Zhang Mansion was burnt down. She may have been killed in the fire or flown away as the buzzard.