A Different Reality (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chp 158 - Frank's POV

A/N: Can I say how FRUSTRATING it is to search for ANY fan material on Frank and the few I find are very boring or inaccurate? Like, fanarts with him skinny, WTF? It's clearly stated that he didn't lose fat, it just became muscles. In short words, Frank is TALL AND BEEFY. He's the kind of guy who attracts anyone's attention on size alone. On with the chapter.

Frank's Flashback

SUNDAY, 5th February

The afternoon sun wasn't strong, but it still felt good against his skin.

"Not that I mind, but why did you call me, specifically?"

Walking beside him, Reyna chuckled.

"I needed the company of someone who didn't appeal to my killing instincts."

"Then Leo and Sierra are out."

With a small smile, she nodded.

"And I needed someone who had their head screwed in the place and that can carefully analyze a situation without being biased."

"Annabeth?"

He didn't expect her to pull his arm, forcing him to stop and look her in the eyes.

"Frank, is it that hard to believe I like your company?"

Caught unguarded by her question, he couldn't maintain eye contact, searching for something else to look at.

"Well, I don't know..."

"We have been working together as praetors for a while now."

Settling for his own shoes, he shrugged, his voice with a hint of defeat; he always had trouble keeping a confident persona next to Reyna – with or without a Legion watching them – and being back in a chubby body wasn't the best for his self-esteem.

"Yes, but it's not like you had a choice. Jason nominated me by his own will."

On his peripheral vision, Reyna shook her head, although he couldn't really see why she disagreed with him.

"Frank, a true Roman praetor was needed to command the legion of undead, and he wasn't Roman anymore."

"And Hazel was busy somewhere else."

When Reyna kept quiet for a moment, he thought it was the end of it, he had always known he became a praetor because he was the only one around. That she continued the argument was a surprise for him.

"Zhang, do you still think you got nominated as a praetor only because you were the only Roman available at the moment?"

Her voice demanded him to face her, but he kept switching between her eyes and her braid.

"Hm... wasn't I?"

Reyna let out a long sigh and he wondered what he did wrong.

"Do you remember when Jason went missing, that we were starting to get ready to vote for a new praetor?"

"Yes. I can't imagine the pressure on you for those months."

She looked up to him in surprise.

"I... thank you. But I wanted to say, do you remember how close Octavian was of winning? And how Percy got chosen after less than a week with us?"

"And some pretty heroic feats."

She glared at him, making him shut up really fast.

"Don't you see? There wasn't a Roman good enough to be praetor, otherwise Octavian wouldn't have been a threat and a graecus wouldn't have become the favorite of the legion in less than a week."