Frank Zhang
Encyclopedia
Frank Zhang is a fictional and central character in Rick Riordan
‘s book series, The Heroes of Olympus
, where he is a major character. A Canadian Chinese demigod son of Mars
, (Roman form of Ares
) he is also a descendant of Poseidon
, the Greek form of Neptune
through his mother's family.
, Frank hopes that Apollo
, the god of poetry, music, archery and prophecy would claim him, because of a his excellent archery skills. However, Mars
, the Roman form of Ares
is revealed as his godly parent. It is revealed later in the book that he has the ability to shapeshift, "to be anything", which he inherited from his Greek ancestor the Prince of Pylos, Periclymenus
,who had been blessed by Poseidon. His life is linked to a stick of wood, which when completely burnt up, would end Frank's life as well(like the Greek hero Meleager
). He is picked to lead a quest to free Thanatos
, the god of death. He has a crush on Hazel Levesque
, another demigod at Camp Jupiter, daughter of Pluto
, the Roman counterpart of Hades
. Despite Frank's father choosing him to lead the quest, Percy makes most of the team's decisions, as he is a natural leader. By the end of the book, Frank has become comfortable with his ability to shapeshift, and decides to forget about worrying how long he'll live and just do his duty as his mother would - Mars implies this is what Frank will contribute to fulfilling the Prophecy of Seven. Frank is the only known demigod to be descended from a Greek and a Roman god, Poseidon
on his mother's side and Mars
as his father, this mix granting him different abilities from different gods.
, a demigod
daughter daughter of Pluto
(Roman form of Hades
). Throughout The Son of Neptune
, Frank shows feelings towards her, and they kiss near the end of the book .
, Hazel's horse, describes Frank as "Chinese-Canadian baby man."
.
Rick Riordan
Richard Russell "Rick" Riordan, Jr. is an American author best known for writing the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. He also wrote the Tres Navarre mystery series for adults and helped to edit Demigods and Monsters, a collection of essays on the topic of his Percy Jackson series...
‘s book series, The Heroes of Olympus
The Heroes of Olympus
The Heroes of Olympus is a fantasy book series written by Rick Riordan and based on Greek and Roman mythology. It is the sequel series to the Percy Jackson & the Olympians pentalogy....
, where he is a major character. A Canadian Chinese demigod son of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, (Roman form of Ares
Ares
Ares is the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and...
) he is also a descendant of Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
, the Greek form of Neptune
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...
through his mother's family.
History of Frank Zhang
Frank is first introduced when guarding the entrance to the Roman camp, Camp Jupiter. Percy Jackson saves his life after the gorgons who have been following him grab Frank by the arms. Before being claimed by MarsMars (mythology)
Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
, Frank hopes that Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, the god of poetry, music, archery and prophecy would claim him, because of a his excellent archery skills. However, Mars
Mars (mythology)
Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
, the Roman form of Ares
Ares
Ares is the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and...
is revealed as his godly parent. It is revealed later in the book that he has the ability to shapeshift, "to be anything", which he inherited from his Greek ancestor the Prince of Pylos, Periclymenus
Periclymenus
In Greek mythology, the name Periclymenus may refer to:*A son of Neleus and Chloris. He was one of the Argonauts. Poseidon gave him the ability to shapeshift into various animals. He was killed by Heracles at Pylos, although he tried to escape in the form of an eagle. His offspring were Erginus...
,who had been blessed by Poseidon. His life is linked to a stick of wood, which when completely burnt up, would end Frank's life as well(like the Greek hero Meleager
Meleager
In Greek mythology, Meleager was a hero venerated in his temenos at Calydon in Aetolia. He was already famed as the host of the Calydonian boar hunt in the epic tradition that was reworked by Homer....
). He is picked to lead a quest to free Thanatos
Thanatos
In Greek mythology, Thanatos was the daemon personification of death. He was a minor figure in Greek mythology, often referred to but rarely appearing in person...
, the god of death. He has a crush on Hazel Levesque
Hazel Levesque
Hazel Levesque is a fictional central character and protagonist in "The Son of Neptune", the second book of Rick Riordan's series, The Heroes of Olympus, where she is one of three narrators. A demigod daughter of Pluto, she resides at Camp Jupiter, a secret camp built to train Roman demigods...
, another demigod at Camp Jupiter, daughter of Pluto
Pluto
Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
, the Roman counterpart of Hades
Hades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
. Despite Frank's father choosing him to lead the quest, Percy makes most of the team's decisions, as he is a natural leader. By the end of the book, Frank has become comfortable with his ability to shapeshift, and decides to forget about worrying how long he'll live and just do his duty as his mother would - Mars implies this is what Frank will contribute to fulfilling the Prophecy of Seven. Frank is the only known demigod to be descended from a Greek and a Roman god, Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
on his mother's side and Mars
Mars (mythology)
Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
as his father, this mix granting him different abilities from different gods.
Personality
Frank is somewhat pessimistic with a dislike for "Ding Dongs"- gluten free cupcakes, and snakes. He has a slight lack of self-confidence but he is a loyal and true friend. Frank is a skilled military leader as a result of his father. Frank's low self-esteem comes from his clumsiness, which made it difficult for him to prove himself at Camp Jupiter. Frank uses his mother's sacrifice in Afghanistan as a model of what he should do, always putting others above himself, even willing to sacrifice himself to stick to his duty.Family
At the beginning of the series, only one member of Frank’s mortal family is alive- his grandmother. His mother was a captain in the Canadian Army. She was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan. Mars states that she was dedicated to her sense of duty and puts it before everything. Frank's grandmother helped his mother raise him. She doesn't approve of her grandson's un-Chinese name, preferring to call him Fai, and seems to think he's a bit stupid, calling him "Ox", although she loves him. She entrusted Frank with the stick that represents his life after his mother's funeral, knowing that Lupa would come to take him to Camp Jupiter soon and that she herself would soon be claimed by death. She is dying when Frank and the others arrive at her house but quickly takes charge of the situation, telling them that weapons are stored in the attic and to go to a friend of hers to get to Alaska. She also convinces Frank to not worry about her and just make sure he finishes the quest. The house is then burned by Laistrygonians, but Frank thinks he sees a bird fly away from the burning house, so it seems she used the family shape shifting power to escape.Romance
Frank's love interest is Hazel LevesqueHazel Levesque
Hazel Levesque is a fictional central character and protagonist in "The Son of Neptune", the second book of Rick Riordan's series, The Heroes of Olympus, where she is one of three narrators. A demigod daughter of Pluto, she resides at Camp Jupiter, a secret camp built to train Roman demigods...
, a demigod
Demigod
The term "demigod" , meaning "half-god", is commonly used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human; as such, demigods are human-god hybrids...
daughter daughter of Pluto
Pluto
Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
(Roman form of Hades
Hades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
). Throughout The Son of Neptune
The Son of Neptune
The Son of Neptune is the second book in the Heroes of Olympus series written by Rick Riordan. It was released on October 4, 2011.-Development:...
, Frank shows feelings towards her, and they kiss near the end of the book .
Appearance
Frank is described as having a chubby, baby-cheeked face with black hair in a military-style cut. He is marked with crossed spears, the letters SPQR, and one stripe on the inside of his forarm. He is described by Hazel Levesque as being like "a cuddly koala bear with muscles" and by Percy as "a toddler who had taken steroids and joined the marines". ArionArion
Arion was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb: "As a literary composition for chorus dithyramb was the creation of Arion of Corinth," The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant of Corinth...
, Hazel's horse, describes Frank as "Chinese-Canadian baby man."
Abilities
Frank is an excellent archer. He possesses his family gift of shape shifting, bestowed upon his ancestor the Prince of Pylos, by PoseidonPoseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
.