Frank Zhang

Frank Zhang is a 16-year-old demigod, son of Mars and Emily Zhang, a ​Chinese-Canadian "legacy"
(descendant of a demigod) who dies during military service in ​Afghanistan​. He is taken care of by his
grandmother after his mother's death, and makes his way to Camp Jupiter upon her insistence. Frank's
family descends from ​Periclymenus​, a grandson of Poseidon, who had the power to ​shapeshift​.
Periclymenus's descendants were sold into ​slavery in China, and migrated to Canada many years later.
While battling Alcyoneus (who is invincible within ​Alaska​), Frank taps into his ancestral power and
transforms into an elephant. However, his combined power of being a son of Mars ​and having the ability to
shapeshift makes his life very fragile. The Fates tied his life force to a piece of firewood when he was a baby,
so if the wood burns up, he will die (as in the ancient Greek legend of ​Meleager​). The goddess Juno appears
to his mother and grandmother while he is a baby to warn them of this fact, as he would be crucial to
defeating the Giants. In all his life, Frank has ignited the wood twice, which he can do simply by thinking
about it; the first time is while he is finding his way to Camp Jupiter, in bitter cold. The second time is when
he, Percy, and Hazel travel to Alaska to free Thanatos. Eventually, Frank entrusts the firewood to Hazel, and
in ​The House of Hades,​ Calypso creates a fireproof pouch to contain it.
Frank has a meek disposition and is uncomfortable upon learning his father's identity publicly in front of the
whole of Camp Jupiter. He suspected himself a son of ​Apollo​, given his skill with a ​bow and arrow​. On his
quest in ​The Son of Neptune​, and later during the series as well, he uses an enchanted spear given to him by
Mars. To Frank's surprise, the spear summons a skeleton warrior that defeats the basilisks. Frank calls this
skeleton "Gray".
As he has been residing in Camp Jupiter for no more than a year, Frank is initially considered a ​probatio​, or
rookie, of the Fifth Cohort. Before the quest to free Thanatos, however, his cohort's centurion, Gwen,
decides to retire and give her position to Frank. Later, in ​The House of Hades,​ Jason surrenders his
praetorship to Frank, who uses its authority and the Diocletian's Scepter to lead an army of Roman skeleton
soldiers against the monsters in the Necromanteion.
Frank was described as 'cuddly' and 'fuzzy' and with a chubby, babyish face in ​The Mark of Athena,​ but in
The House of Hades,​ after summoning the blessing of Mars to defeat a hoard of enemies, he transforms. He
is then described as being taller, more muscular, and without all his childhood fat. Though now built like a
professional football player, he is still as sensitive as before, and is embarrassed at his new appearance at
first.
Initially, he was wary of the tension between Hazel and Leo, as Leo reminded Hazel of her old boyfriend,
Sammy Valdez. After Leo's encounter with Calypso, however, Leo became more relaxed around Hazel and
there were no more signs of anything other than friendship, much to Frank's relief. He then pursues a
relationship with Hazel.
● Frank Zhang: a son of ​Mars​ and a legacy (distant descendant) of Poseidon on his mother's side. A
notable ancestor of Frank is Periclymenus, who was given the ability of shapeshifting by his grandfather,
Poseidon. It is revealed that the descendants of Periclymenus have inherited this ability, and Frank learns
to use it late in the novel. Frank is a Roman demigod at Camp Jupiter, a camp for Roman demigods.
Frank has a crush on Hazel, which she reciprocates. He is a Chinese Canadian.