Zane Obispo

"Easy for him to tell me not to worry. He didn't just eat an ancient mud person!"

- The Fire Keeper

Zane Obispo is the main character and narrator of the Storm Runner series. He is a thirteen-year-old Mayan godborn, the son of Hurakan, one of the two Mayan creator gods and the Mayan god of wind, storms and fire, and an unnamed human woman. He was the foretold one in the Prophecy of Fire, the Storm Runner.

Early Life
Zane Obispo was born to Hurakan, the Mayan god of storms and fire, and Mrs. Obispo, a mortal woman. Before he was even a year old, Zane would speak in complete sentences. Around this time he also touched his mother’s curling iron without being burned. He would also try to crawl out into the desert. When he was two his maternal grandmother died, with her grave being close to his house.

When Zane was eight his mother gave him a five part encyclopedia set on the history of Mexico, he would heavily favor the second volume.

Finding Rosie
When he was about nine or ten he found Rosie, a half-boxer, half-dalmatian mixed breed dog, wondering the desert and took her in after promising his mother he would take care of her.

Dropping out of School
When Zane was twelve he dropped out of school because of constant harassment from bullies about his uneven legs. He agreed to be home schooled for one year until his mother could find another school. During this time Zane would work as an assistant to his two neighbors, he would work as Ms. Cab’s assistant in her phone psychic business to pay for Rosie’s food and help Mr. Ortiz with his pepper gardening. Zane would also teach himself a variety of different facts by reading books during his homeschooling days.

The Storm Runner
One night his mother joyously informs him that he was accepted to the Holy Ghost Private School and would be starting the next day. He tries to talk her out of it to no success and reluctantly agrees. She gives him a new cane as a present. After relaxing in his room for a brief time he goes hiking up the Beast, a nearby volcano. Rosie is eager to leave but he does not. Zane sees a mysterious craft crash close by and sees a creature in the downed aircraft. Soon after, he falls off the cliff. When Zane wakes up his mother finds him and hugs him. He gets worried when he does not see Rosie, but she shows up and he hugs her. He is checked out by the paramedics and questioned by the police. Mr. Ortiz and Ms. Caballero soon arrive to check up on Zane. Soon Rosie bolts into the desert and Zane follows after her. When he catches her he sees the creature in the craft. It starts to approach him until his mother arrives and vanishes. His mother states that she did not see it. Later that night he checks his encyclopedia and sees a picture of the creature, a demon of Xib’alb’a, the Mayan underworld.

The next day at school he is beat up by a kid who claims to hit him by accident until he hits him in the head with his cane, resulting in Zane being sent to Father Baumgarten’s office. While waiting he meets a girl named Brooks, who vanishes when he gets out of the office. When at home with his uncle later that night Brooks arrives at his house and says they need to talk. He slams the door in her face and she knocks until Hondo lets her in. She asks to speak somewhere private until his mother comes home and she decides to come back to following night. The next day he asked a secretary about Brooks, however she says no one with that name attends the school. He gets frustrated by this and asks her his name, resulting in detention. Mr. Ortiz picks him up and Brooks is waiting for him. He tries to ask her about the demon but she keeps telling him he is in danger. They go into the backyard and Rosie nearly attacks her. Just as he calms the dog down, Brooks vanishes. He soon finds that she turned into a hawk and perched in a nearby tree. He tells Hondo that Rosie was barking at nothing and his uncle returns to wrestling. He calms Rosie down and gets Brooks to come out of the tree. She tells him to come to the volcano and Zane reluctantly agrees. She tells Zane she is a Nawal, a Mayan shapeshifter, and what he saw the other night was a Demon Runner. She also tells Zane that he is the subject of a Mayan prophecy. As they reach the entrance, Brooks tells him of how Ah-Puch was imprisoned in an artifact by the others gods and locked away. She tells him that by finding the entrance, he sent out a signal to the death god’s henchmen. Brooks also tells Zane he is destined to free the Ah-Puch. He is alarmed by this, but Brooks tells him he just needs to find it so she can take it away. She tells him it can only be opened during a solar eclipse where it was buried. They hear a noise and see a demon runner. Brooks tries to fend it of but her plan fails and they run. He chooses to sacrifice himself to save the others. However, Rosie gets past him and bites the creature’s thought as it oozes poison. Zane shoves the monster and gets poisoned himself. It rips Rosie off and throws her against a wall. Zane then agrees to help it before driving his cane into the creature’s stomach. It dissolves in a pile of goo.

He cradles Rosie as the poison kills her and she dissolves before his eyes. Brooks drags him out of the cave and they head down the volcano. She tells Zane he is supernatural before leaving when a pair of headlights arrive and he passes out. When he wakes up he is in Ms. Cab’s living room and she tells him she is a Nik’wachinel, a Mayan seer, who came to watch over him and informs Zane that he is only part human. She tells Zane that is the reason he survived the poison and his excellent vision at night. She does not know what or who his father is, but only his mother knows. He urges her to bring Rosie back, but she says if she does Rosie will not be the same. He urges her to do this and she agrees if he promises to stay home for the rest of the night. He agrees and goes home.

While waiting for his mom he reads about Xia’alb’a and Ah-Puch. He gets fed up with waiting and has Mr. Ortiz drive him to the bank. He gets his mom’s attention and asks who is father is. Just then an Alux shows up and tries to kill him. They try to find a safe place but it gets in before they could reach the safety deposit box cage. Honda arrives and distracts it so they can escape. Despite his please not to leave his uncle, his mother drives until they break down at a farm. She gets out and tells Zane to run. He sees the alux hold a knife to his mother’s throat, but Brooks arrives before anything happens. He follows them in the field after checking up on his mother. He returns with Brooks and they head home. His mother offers her to stay the night and she accepts. They wonder who sent the alux to kill Zane and are determined to not release Ah-Puch. He wakes up at 2:30 the following afternoon to Hondo telling him his mother is out. He goes to change clothes and bathe and after hears Rosie coming from the volcano.

He hobbles toward the volcano to find Rosie, he reaches his entrance and goes inside. Zane touches a wall that was covered in demon runner venom. Brooks arrives and told him to squeeze it out. She slits his forearm and he does so. Brooks tells him that the call came to him as Rosie’s distress call. He hears it again and finds a cavern with a pool and sleeping demon runners on the ceiling. He senses that Ah-Puch is in the pool and soon the demon runners wake up and surround them, telling him to free the death god. He takes Brooks by the hand and plunges into the pool. He leads Brooks to another underground chamber, but before he can help her out she is dragged under by a demon runner. He frees her and watches as the creature disintegrates. He tries to save Brooks to no avail. Zane sees a glowing column containing a small ceramic owl, the prison of Ah-Puch. Zane agrees to release him if he can save Brooks and bring Rosie back. After he agrees, Zane climbs the wall and smashes the owl.

After Ah-Puch is freed he sends Zane and a newly arrived Muwan to a penthouse balcony in Los Angeles. He pleads with the death god to save Brooks and return Rosie. Ah-Puch agrees, but only if Zane becomes a soldier of death and answers his call in three nights. He hears a man’s voice saying no and sees someone in a neighboring skyscraper. He agrees and pledges himself before being blown away. While falling he sees his mother with the man who told him to reject Ah-Puch, realizing he is his father. He wakes up in his bedroom with Brooks and looks for Rosie to no success. He and Brooks hear each other's thoughts. She realizes that Zane is the son of a Mayan God. He asks her how to turn it off and she leaves in frustration. When he catches up Brooks, she realizes Zane agreed to survive Ah-Puch. He tells her this will never happen. Hondo tells them a giant chicken is at the door and they follow it to Ms. Cab’s house where Mr. Ortiz soon shows up. He soon realizes that the chicken is Ms. Cab. She tells him all the soothsayers have been turned into animals and translates for the other. Hondo and Mr. Ortiz quickly accept what he tells them and goes with Brooks and Hondo to find an entrance to Xib’alb’a. Before they leave he takes one of Ms. Cab’s eyes and goes with Mr. Ortiz. He gives Zane La Muerte, a pepper so hot it can paralyze the eater for hours, to use against Ah-Puch. He goes home to help Hondo with a not to his mother and they find a way to Xib’alb’a in Venice Beach, California and realize Ah-Puch wants revenge against the hero twins. Brooks tells them the twins are arrogant, but they think this is the best option. She tells them their Birthday is the following day and says she was invited. The three set out.

On the road he dreams of Rosie and sees knock-off like reflections in trees. He wakes and they stop for dinner at a fast food restaurant in Yuma. As they finish they see demons disguised as themselves in biker outfits approach them. They leave they see them in the parking lot as doubles of themselves and demand Brooks. A fight breaks out and he struggles briefly before defeating his double along with his uncle. However five more arrive and take the form of Brooks. After the real one snaps at him he and Hondo take care of the rest. While on the road, Brooks tells him she lost her powers. He is surprised by this and asks Brooks to explain, but she does not. He dreams of Ms. Cab telling him to attack Ah-Puch in his blind spot. When he wakes up he sees they at a beach in San Diego. He tries to wake Brooks before going to put his feet in the Pacific Ocean. He sees a woman who tells him to come closer. She introduces herself as Pacific, the former Mayan goddess of time. She tells him his father sent her because a pact was made to not sire anymore demigod children under the threat of death for them and their children. Before leaving she gives him jaguar jade and calls him storm runner. She sends Zane back to shore. When he returns to Hondo and Brooks they dead to Venice Beach. He sees a tarot card reader who knows about the prophecy of fire. Before he can ask more, Brooks drags him away. He and Hondo follow Brooks to a shop run by her friend Jazz. He gives them obsidian coins to see the twins and tells them the gods know of Ah-Puch’s escape and they are blaming one another for it, he also says he will personally punch who ever released Ah-Puch out of the Milky Way. After helping him keep his blood sugar up, he hears Jazz hum the song the tarot card reader was humming. He asks how Zane could know this because he was invisible. Before Zane can answer her feels a stabbing pain in his leg and passes out.

When he wakes up he finds himself in a jungle by a pyramid as a jaguar. Another jaguar appears and introduces himself as Hurakan, the god of storms and his father. Zane is in disbelief as he questions his father and that they are in a place called the Empty, a realm of his creation. After awhile he believes him. He asks his father why he chose to contact him now, however his father told him that he sent the storms to hide him from the other gods who he was scared or angry. Zane asks him why Pacific called him storm runner when he realizes he can not run from Ah-Puch. His father scolds him for making the deal with Ah-Puch. He tells his son to seek out the White Sparkstriker in the old world. Zane says he has his own plans and runs off. Before Zane leaves, Hurakan catches up with him and says Zane short leg is his snake leg and it makes him strong. He returns to his body and the tell him he was out for hours. Brooks tells him they told Jazz he faints when he gets nervous. The giant gives Zane hot chocolate that, unknown to him, can only be consumed by a supernatural. Jazz calls him out on this but Brooks says he is a magician. Jazz gives them formal wear to make them more attractive and lends them his fastest scooter. During the ride he tells the others his father is Hurakan. They avoid the police when Honda hits the turbo button. They arrive at the Beverly Hills Hotel and head to the third floor. Brooks tells him and Hondo they will have to play a game with the twins and offer to trade magic to get the information they need to stop Ah-Puch.

They find the ticket taker and Brooks manages to get them in. She calls him Rana (frog), and they head to the elevator. They arrive and the party and one of the twins, Jordan, says hello to Brooks. Zane learns that he is forcing Brooks’s sister to marry him and he takes them to Bird, the other twin. They ask the twins for advice on how to defeat Ah-Puch, but they brush off the question. After watching a man reluctantly trade his daughter‘s beauty for a job, Zane becomes enraged and shows his jaguar jade. This intrigues the twins and they agree to a game and to give them the information they want if they win, if they get the jaguar jade if the they win, Zane agree. They flip a coin, Jaguar or death, he calls jaguar but it lands on death. As they exit Jordan finds his spiked hot chocolate and drinks. He notices Hondo is feeling out of place and Brooks informs them that Hondo has been poisoned. Zane is infuriated and they start the game. The twins allow him to score and the hoop bursts into flames when he does so, however he is not burned. Bird notices this and Brooks calls for sudden death. Shortly after Muwan and Ah-Puch arrive and thank him for leading them to the twins. Zane realizes that the tattoo is a tracking becan that can lead the death god to him. Ah-Puch tells Zane how the twins lied about defeating him to boost their image for humanity and trick the gods into their pact. Before leaving with the twins, he tells Zane he will see him soon. He and Brooks struggle with Honda until Jazz arrives and takes his uncle. The giant leads them to the edge of the building where they jump onto a flying cart manned by Flanco. Flanco takes them to Jazz’s boat and they jump into the sea with him supporting Brooks. He feels pure hatred for wasting time on the twins and for what they did to Hondo. Jazz informs them that they are heading to the Old World through one of the god’s gates. Zane starts to worry when he learns Jazz put cameras in their enchanted clothes, but is relieved when he learns thy do not pick up audio.

After Jazz heads below deck, Brooks explains why she came to him. She tells him how she promised Ixtab Ah-Puch in exchange for her sister’s freedom. She also told him he had a choice to ignore the call. Zane says he could not do that since she was going to die. Soon after Brooks falls asleep he sees a figure approaching the boat. The figure introduces himself as K’ukumatz and, with Pacific who arrives moments later, they explain that they are going to shave a few hours off their trip to the Old World. Zane gets frustrated that Hurakan does not see him in person, the two tell Zane that he will reach his full potential in the Old World. The pair leave and Brooks wakes up soon after. He tells her K’ukumatz and Pacific were going to shorten their trip and she is upset he did not get K’ukumatz’s autograph.

He dreams of Ms. Cab, who tells him to hurry and that his mother and Mr. Ortiz are okay. Jazz wakes him and Brooks to give him a personal item to open the gateway. He donates his cane and it opens the gate. Jazz questions him on his connection to the gods. Soon the walls start to close in and his mark burns and peels away to reveal Ah-Puch’s eyes. Jazz inflates a raft and hoists everyone but Zane on board. He gives Brooks his jaguar jade, which she drops, and he plunges his wrist into the water. As the fish start to eat his wrist Brooks pull him out and bandages his hand. He is relieved when Hondo wakes up and hugs his uncle. The walls stop and they get back on the boat until they can not sail anymore. When they head to shore he tells Jazz he is godborn and the giant realizes Zane was the one who freed Ah-Puch. Brooks intervenes and says she would be dead if it was not for Zane. This calms Jazz down and they head to the lightning striker to train Zane.

After walking for about an hour the group finds five pyramids that Jazz says was once the meeting place of the five most important gods and goddesses in the Mayan pantheon. The giant tells them to make camp and a few hours later he comes face to face with a masked figure. He follows her and she introduces herself as Nobody before turning into an eagle and flying off Zane finds a hole leading to an underground river with quick flashing lights coming out of a cave on the side. He goes down in the hole to investigate. He finds Saqik’oxol and she gives him a spear-cane and he fishes a lightning bolt out of the pool. She tells him to lay on her slab so she can pound the bolt into his serpent leg. Zane is reluctant and she tells him that by doing this, she will unlock whatever powers he inherited from Hurakan. Zane agrees to this and Saqik’oxol proceeds with the procedure. He soon spirit jumps to the Empty and speaks with his father. Hurakan tells Zane that he has received one of his powers and he quickly realizes it is fire. Hurakan tells him to draw in energy from the sun, but he nearly burns up before a wave cools him down. His father tells him to release the energy or he will burn from the inside out. He is then pulled back into his body and informs the sparkstriker of his dominant power. Shortly after she tells Zane that Ah-Puch has arrived.

Nobody soon returns and he realizes she is Quinn, Brooks’s sister. Saqik’oxol has a vision and she informs them the gods are near. He and Quinn take of to find Ah-Puch. He reveals that, unless he kills Ah-Puch, he is bound to serve him. As they fly over his camp, he sees Jazz and Hondo but not Brooks. He tells Quinn to look for her but she says they must do it later. Soon they are attacked by Muwan. The owl slashes one of Quinn’s wings sending then spiraling down towards the jungle bellow, however Zane hits Muwan in the chest with his spear, send her down as well. He manages to get Quinn to land in a clearing, soon Brooks arrives with the jaguar jade he lost earlier. Soon Ah-Puch arrives and brings his demon runners. Zane summons his spear and takes one out. Moments later Ixtab arrives and tries to burn Ah-Puch with a fireball. Zane blocks it and walks away unharmed. As Ah-Puch is distracted, he goes in for the kill. However Ixtab summons two Hellhounds, one he realizes as Rosie.

Zane is shocked to see Rosie again. However, Ah-Puch imprisons him in a smoke cage and he watches the battle. The death god soon releases Zane and the throws his spear, only for Ah-Puch to teleport behind him at the last second. As Ah-Puch squires his neck, the gods arrive. He father announces Zane as the one in the prophecy of fire and his son, he feels heat explode through out his body and his father tells him his full power has now been awakened. Ixtab manages to convince the gods to let Zane fight him and they accept. Rosie then breaths fire at him, he sends both him and Ah-Puch to the Empty. The death god, in the form of a snake with maggots, tells Zane he will die regardless of the outcome and offers once again to train him. Zane declines and attacks him, Ah-Puch throws Zane off and the godborn runs towards an abyss. He throws both himself and Ah-Puch into the abyss and throws fire at him, setting him falling to the bottom on fire and swearing vengeance.

When he wakes up, he finds himself in a cell in Xib’alb’a. Ixtab comes over to him and tells him to write his story on a sheet of truth paper from Itzam-yée that multiplies to as much as he needs and a pen. She tells him his story will be used as an example to all gods who break the oath and, when he is done, he will pound stone until he turns to dust. He asks the goddess if he is dead, which she confirms. However, when he finishes she takes him to a room and tells him he is actually alive but he will have to hide to insure the gods think he is dead. Ixtab reveals that she and Hurakan have been working together for weeks to give Zane a fighting chance against the former ruler of Xib’akb’a. She summons Rosie and the two happily reconnect. She says that his father is imprisoned for the moment, the gods decided that they may need his power someday. She tells Zane that there were other godborns, but they were hidden away and have since died, then she tells him they must move.

As they travel he wonders what will become of Pacific and Mat. When they arrive he sees his hiding place, a two-floor beach house on Isla Holbox. Before leaving Ixtab gives him his cane and Rosie. He is greeted by his mother and Hondo, who tell him they plain to open a surf shop. As they drink and relax on the deck, they are greeted by Mr. Ortiz and Ms. Cab, who is back to human, when they come to visit. Later, when he and Rosie are relaxing on the beach, Brooks arrives. She tells him that she and Quinn are now fugitives. He tells her he plans to liberate Hurakan, but she tells him to wait. He watches her fly off as he and Rosie play in the water. He feels that Ixtab is wrong, that there are still other godborns out there, they might've been reading his postscripts.

The Fire Keeper
During lent, Zane and Brooks are paddling along an underground river on Isla Holbox to meet an informant sent by Jazz to tell them about the current status of Hurakan, who is moved every few weeks by the gods for security reasons. When they exit the tunnel they enter a rainstorm and Brooks transforms a giant hawk and flies Zane to the meeting point, a white sand beach. As the messenger bird arrives with the coconut containing the message, Rosie appears out of nowhere and attacks the bird. Brooks turns into a hawk and the son of Hurakan rides on her back. As they try to calm the bird Rosie attacks it. Just as the bird reaches the limits of Isla Holbox, it vanishes and the coconut falls into the Caribbean Sea, Brooks hits the force feild around the island.

Appearance
Zane Obispo has dark hair and brown eyes with an olive complex. His right leg, his serpent leg, is shorter than the left, in addition his right foot is two sizes smaller than his left foot. He originally stood at five foot nine inches, but grew two inches taller by the time of the events in The Fire Keeper.

After agreeing to serve Ah-Puch, Zane receives a skull tattoo on his inner wrist to symbolize his loyalty to the death god. Later he plunges his tattooed wrist into the water and the top half was eaten away by flesh eating fish. The mark has vanished by the time he faces the death god.

In the Empty, Zane takes the form of a jaguar with claws and spots.

Personality
Zane is a adventurous and courageous boy. He has a strong desire to keep his loved ones safe from harm and feels devastating when he fails.

Abilities
 
 * -|General Abilities=
 * Wrestling: Zane knows some wrestling moves taught to him by his uncle.
 * Spanish: Zane knows some works in Spanish, whether he is fluent or not is currently uknown.
 * Swimming: Zane is shown to be a strong swimmer, as he was able to swim through an underwater tunnel while carrying Brooks.
 * Dreams: Zane has visions of people and events from faraway, such as Ms. Cab when he is not in New Mexico.
 * -|Demigod Abilities=
 * Night Vision: Zane has perfect vision in the dark.
 * Telepathy: Due to being half-god, Zane can both read the thoughts of and project his thoughts to those closest to him.
 * Toxikinesis Resistance: Due to his supernatural heritage, Zane is able to survive some supernatural poisons.
 * Spirit-Jumping: Due to the Jaguar Jade, Zane is able to spirit jump, astral project his spirit, into the Empty.
 * Pyrokinesis: Zane inherited his father’s affiliation for fire.
 * Fire Immunity: Due to being the son of Hurakan, Zane is immune to fire.
 * Heat Sensing: Zane is able to sense heat sources that are near by, such as the deep fryers at the In N’ Out Burger in Yuma.
 * Fire Generation: Zane can generate fire, as shown during his fight with Ah-Puch.

Magical Items

 * Jaguar Jade Tooth: Zane was given a tooth made from jaguar jade, an ancient magic that can be bestowed with any power when passed on, from his father that allows him to communicate with the storm god. When entering the Old World, Zane loses the tooth but it is found and returned by Brooks.
 * Fuego: Given to him by Saqik’oxol, the indestructible silver cane with a jade handle can hide his limp and turn into a spear. Zane named it Fuego because it was as fast as fire, it can return to him when called. When not a weapon, it turned into a letter opener which Zane wore in his sock.

Family
 Zane is close with his mother, he cares for her but at the same time feels she is keeping too many secrets from him. While he was head to the twins, he asked Ms. Cab how she was doing.
 * -|Mrs. Obispo=

While Zane cares for his maternal uncle, the son of Hurakan feels that he slacks off from time to time and leaves the hard work to his mother, which angers him.
 * -|Hondo Obispo=

Most of the time however, Zane sees Hondo as a surrogate older brother due to the both of them being close in age.

When Zane set out to free himself from Ah-Puch’s control, he accompanied his nephew without a second thought, showing the strong bond the two have.

For his entire life, Zane questioned who his father was. When he finally learned his father was one of the Mayan creator gods, he became enraged that he did little to nothing to stop him from freeing Ah-Puch and that the only time he contacted him was after he realesed the death god.
 * -|Hurakan=

After Hurakan claimed him in the Old World, he was saddened to see him get chained up and sentenced to death. After his family was relocated to Isla Holbox, he makes a plan to free his father, showing a loving side for the creator god. 

Friends
 After he found Rosie wondering the desert, Zane immediately grew attached to her due to both of them have problems with a leg. After Rosie sacrificed herself against a Demon Runner to save Zane, he was saddened. Days later he was surprised to see her as a hellhound. Their shared affection help trick the gods into thinking he was dead. Despite her being a hellhound, their connection and bond has not changed.
 * -|Rosie=

When first seeing her, Zane found her attractive. However, he became uneasy when Ms. Cab told him that Nawals were tricksters. This did not change as during their quest the two grew closer and became good friends. During their quest, Zane came to trust Brooks greatly.
 * -|Brooks=

Unknown to the son of Hurakan, the seer has been looking out for him his entire life. He was close to her in return and acted as her assistant for calls. When she became a chicken, he promised he would turn her human again.
 * -|Antonia Caballero=

Zane was close with his neighbor and helped him with his greenhouse. Mr. Ortiz also cares for Zane, going as far as to give him La Muerte, the hottest pepper in the world, instead of putting it in the Guinness Book of World Records. When he and Ms. Cab visit him in Isla Holbox he is thrilled. 
 * -|Mr. Ortiz=

Etymology

 * Zane is a name of Hebrew origin meaning gift from God.
 * Obispo is Spanish for bishop.

Trivia

 * Zane is the second Rick Riordan, and the first Rick Riordan Presents, P.O.V. character to swear openly. The first being Magnus Chase.
 * He has perfect eyesight.
 * Zane’s condition of different length legs is called leg length discrepancy. This is normally caused, in real life, by a crooked pelvis.