Ah-Puch

Not part of Riordanverse The following article/section is from the Storm Runner/Shadow Bruja continuity under Rick Riordan Presents and not the Riordanverse canon.

Ah-Puch
Biographical information
Full name	Ah-Puch
Gender	Male
Alias	God of Death, Disaster, and Darkness The Stinking One Puke You-Know-Who Flatulent One A.P. (by Ren Santiago)
Status	Immortal
Physical description
Eye	Black Slitted and blazing red (as a snake)
Hair	Black
Height	Tall Eight feet tall (as a snake)
Species	God
Behind the scenes
Appearances	The Storm Runner The Fire Keeper The Shadow Crosser Lords of Night

“	I'm just imagining what it would feel like when I rip out their hearts. With my teeth.	”
–Ah-Puch talking about what he would do to Ixkik' and Camazotz after they attacked Zane, Ren, and their companions in The Shadow Crosser.

Ah-Puch (pronounced "ah-POOCH") is the skeletal Mayan god of death, darkness and destruction and the former ruler of Xib'alb'a. He served as the main antagonist in The Storm Runner. After aiding Zane Obispo in freeing his father and finding the godborns, he becomes an ally to the son of Hurakan.

History

Many years ago, Ah-Puch ruled over the ninth lowest level of Xib'alb'a, the Mayan underworld, known as Mitnal. He used to go to the houses of the sick and dying and wait outside, his rusty laugh echoing in the wind. According to the Lacandon people, when someone dies their soul is burn in Ah-Puch's mouth and butt. If the soul complains, Ah-Puch pours cold water on it and disintegrates it into nothing. After this, the god Sucunyum spits on the soul causing it to choose its destiny.

However, when the hero twins defeated some of his weaker lords, they went on to tell everyone that they defeated Ah-Puch himself. Humans loved them for it, then they saw the underworld as weak and stopped fearing the god of death. He decided to destroy the world a fourth time and remake new humans that will pay attention.

He waged a war against the other Mayan gods, including Nakon and Ixkakaw. However, Ah-Puch lost and was sentenced to a lifetime imprisonment as a piece of folded paper from the Ceiba World Tree inside an owl figurine at the bottom of a volcano created by Hurakan. Were he to escape and exact his vengeance, the fate of the entire world could be at stake. However, the goddess of time, Pacific, foresaw that he would be freed by a godborn during a solar eclipse.

Storm Runner Trilogy

The Storm Runner

When Zane Obispo reaches his holding chamber, he tells the boy to free him. He agrees if he can save Brooks and bring Rosie back, as a Demon Runner had killed the latter and poisoned the former. Ah-Puch agrees and the boy breaks the small ceramic owl containing the god.

The black owl, which contained the death god for centuries.

Once he is free, he feeds on blood and becomes a regular looking man. He restores Muwan to her former glory and transports everyone from the cavern to a penthouse balcony in Los Angeles. He agrees to save Brooks and return Rosie to life, only if Zane becomes his soldier and answers his call in three days. Zane agrees and the boy is blown away.

Two days later he arrives at Jordan and Bird's party and thanks Zane for leading him to the twins. He summons the Yant'o Triad to subdue the twins and he reveals that they never defeated him, only a few of his underlings. He goes on to say that they used this lie to trick the gods into their pact to not have more demigod children so they would not have competition. He leaves with the twins and tells Zane he will see him very soon.

Zane Obispo, the Storm Runner who freed and defeated him.

When Zane is about to enter the Old World. Ah-Puch speaks to him through the tattoo. When the godborn plunges his wrist in the water, they both feel the pain of the mark being eaten by carnivorous fish.

After Zane kills Muwan, he encases Brooks and Quinn in hands of smoke and summons demon runners to defeat Zane. Soon after, Ixtab arrives and tries to kill him, only to be saved by Zane. He imprisons the godborn in a cage of smoke and watches as the others fight. He releases Zane, who throws his spear at the death god, only to teleport behind Zane at the last second. As he is about to crush his neck, the other gods arrive. He is ecstatic when Hurakan claims Zane as his son, and he and Ixtab convince the gods to let Zane fight him. Zane takes him to the Empty where, in the form of a large snake, he says that a new race of gods threatens their powers and creates unbalance. If Hurakan is killed, the Empty will disappear as well,  and when that happens, Ah-Puch will escape and head back to Xib'alb'a. He offers one more time to train him as he is going to die regardless of their potential battle, Zane declines and attacks him. He follows Zane to an endless abyss and, just before going over, is set on fire by Zane and he swears vengeance.

What Ah-Puch didn't know was that when he paralyzed Zane's body before heading into the Empty, Ixtab used Rosie in convincing the other gods to think that he died, and Hurakan was also just locked up in a prison. Without Ah-Puch, his pawns and groupies, including the Yant'o Triad, couldn't do anything allowing Nakon to round them all up.

The Fire Keeper

After his battle with Zane, Ah-Puch was able to form a connection to Zane's Jaguar Jade and watch his life on Isla Holbox. When the son of Hurakan set out to rescue his father, he calls to him when Zane reaches Xib'alb'a and over hears him and Hurakan talking about the godborns. He tried to contact him with no success and, with The Empty dying, sends a portion of his essence to the land of the living to speak with Zane in a weakened form.

He finds him in San Miguel de Allende, sensing Zane despite undergoing a Death Ceremony. Ah-puch tells Zane he can take him to the Fire Keeper in minutes if he can restore the death god to his former power, even allowing Zane to make the deal. Zane agrees to restore his power if he can take them to the Fire Keeper, obey his every order, not harm or kill him or the godborns, not start any wars, or not take Xib'alb'a back from Ixtab. Ah-Puch agrees to Zane's terms.

Zane gives him just enough maize to open a gateway to Cabo San Lucas in Baja California Sur. He tells Zane to bring Ren along as her being a godborn can protect her from curses. He opens the gateway and they jump through just as the sun raises and Brooks sees them. They reach their destination at sunset and he explains he had to take an “under the radar” to avoid the other gods and he resquests dinner. Zane scolds him for breaking his promise, but he says he has until midnight and smells blood. After Zane points out a blue monkey only he can see, he finds that the smell of blood is coming towards them and they run. As they run he reluctantly rides Rosie to the docks and Ah-Puch steals a boat. They soon see a cloud thareleases bats when Zane hits it. They struggle until Zane gives him the maize and he regains his full strength and brings some of the bat's blood and throws them in Rosie's inferno. When it is over he regains his normal form, however it is only temporary. Zane scolds him for takes their life force, but he reminds the son of Hurakan that bats were not part of the no killing deal. They get in a cab and he checks them into a luxury villa at a five-star hotel where a man named Javier tends to him. As he orders them dinner he explains that Camazotz, the god of bats, to obtain Ren. Ren explains that the gods want to kill her family because their is something not Mayan about them, but before she could say more she has a seizure and he catches her before she hits the floor and puts her on a couch. He then gives Zane advice on controlling his powers, to surrender to them rather then control them. He then goes out but Zane tries to stop him, but Ah-Puch tells the boy to say and rest. The following morning he and Ren find Zane on the breach and bring him inside. When he wakes up they are under siege by bats and hotel security. Two guards force their way in guns drawn and they escape on Rosie but are cornered by more guards and a helicopter on a cliff. As Rosie distracts the guards, he takes hold of Zane and Ren's hands and tells Zane to think of a familiar location in New Mexico before jumping off and he takes them there. They end up buy the replica of The Beast, annoying the death god that he is so close to his former prison. Ren helps Ah-Puch up and he has Zane send him the location of the godborns. He finds the footprint of an Ahuizotl, a Mexica water monster. When Zane finds evidence that Brooks and Hondo were there and captured, he tells the son of Hurakan to remain calm and be wary of traps, right before Zane triggers one.

He tracks down Zane and the godborns, severely weakening himself in the process, and wheezes when speaking to Zane. Just as they are about to escape, Marco awakens Camazotz by throwing a hammer at him. When the bat god lands he allies will him and tell Zane the twins plan to use the blood of Hurakan and the godborns to resurrect the Mexica Gods and make a world order with them at the top. Soon Camazotz fights the godborns and he stabs his friend in the side, resulting in him being killed and Zane giving him his Jaguar Jade to revive him. When his full power is restored, he threatens Camazotz to release Ren and frees her before sending her, Zane, and the others through the gateway as he fights the bat god. He gets away from the bat god and saves Hurakan from execution and brings the creator god to Antonio Marcel De la Vega to restore his strength. In Xib'alb'a, he and the other gods decide on the best course of action against the twins and they choose to reopen the Shaman Institute of Higher-Order Magic and install him as a teacher. As thanks for helping with discovering the twin's plans, he is given a level of the underworld to rule over.

The Shadow Crosser

When the air spirits are on strike, he sends giant turtles to pick up Zane and his companions. Later he greets Ren when she arrives and as the son of Hurakan and his father are questioning how Camazotz and Ixkik' can control the Mexica Gods and believe they have an ulterior motive, he joins in on their conversation. They fill him in on what happened and he vows to kill Camazotz and Ixkik' for trying to hurt him. He and Hurakan are shocked when they learn Ixtab is the mother of Adrik and Alana. As the claiming ceremony ends, they go to the ceremony. They arrive to see Saqik'oxol pound lighting into the twin's legs and leave shortly after.

However he and the other gods are ambushed, trapped in 1987, and severely weakened as they are about to be fed to Tlaltecuhtli, however he is able to talk to Zane. He tells the son of Hurakan not to find them and to run. As well as calling him his favorite enemy and to tell Ren goodbye. He tells Zane that the daughter of Pacific might help, but is cut off just after.

He and Pacific are brought by Ren and Rosie back to Hurakan's treehouse and when Ixkik' explains she is hunting down the gods, he says she doesn't know some of them are awake. When Ixkik' demands Zane's surrender to her or she'll kill the gods, he thinks she has an ulterior motive as the son of Hurakan surrenders and the others agree to find as many gods as they can. After the enemy is defeated, he throws a party that takes two weeks to plan. During the party, he and Ixchel bark orders at the air and earth spirits.

Shadow Bruja Duology

Lords of Night

As Ah-Puch is having dinner at the Hotel del Coranado in San Diego, Ren calls him and and explains her experience in Kansas with appearing in a tunnel with a voice calling her queen and mentioning a lord. Before he can answer, Marco takes Ren's phone. He arrives in the diner Ren and Marco are at and orders them to come with him, with Marco doing so reluctantly. Ah-Puch ushers them into a car driven by a demon as they drive into the desert to reach a gateway leading to SHIHOM that will not track their movement. As they drive Ren mentions lords and Ah-Puch speaks in an unknown language. Ren demands answers and Marco demands they take him home. As they reach their destination, Ah-Puch pulls them out as large panthers made of shadows appear and Ren struggles to use her shadow magic. The three manage to fight them off, with Ah-Puch burning his hands on the time rope to aid Ren. Marco and the demon take out the last panther.

As they pass through the gateway, he temporarily regains some of his power and creates a dimension resembling a airfield. He takes Ren to a hanger so they can speak privately. Ren explains the girl she saw and Ah-Puch suggests she was an astral traveler. Ren then talks about the Cinco and Ah-Puch expresses his desire for their death. Ren chastises him for this, but he refuses to listen. When Ah-Puch mentions the Lords of Night, Ren demands he tell her about them. As they walk, he talks about the Lords of Night, nine Mexica gods who each ruled over a certain day and vanished due to lack of sacrifices after the Spanish conquered the Aztec. He theorizes that each of the lords will awaken on their respective night as Ren tries to piece why the Cinco want to resurrect them. As he explains, Ren notices Ah-Puch's eye twitching and realizes he is withholding something. When she confronts him on it. He covers his eye and starts to hyperventilate, blaming it on his current condition and Ren creates a dome of shadows to calm him down. After promising to protect her, and acknowledging that it would be challenging in his weakened state, he says he wants her to meet someone. He tells her to release her shadow done and she does so as a boy her age appears from the tree line and introduces himself as Edison. Ah-Puch explains how his mother, a demon, hid him from Ixtab and he looked after him in a five-star hotel and taught him about humanity through movies and television shows. Ren is surprised by his humanoid appearance and becomes enraged when Ah-Puch says Edison will be her bodyguard. Ren objects to having a bodyguard but quickly, and reluctantly, accepts at Ah-Puch's urging before heading to SHIHOM.

In the morning he informs Ren that Marco went home and she sees that he texted her. After breakfast, they head to the training arena and Ah-Puch tells her to keep quiet about Edison being a demon. They find Edison scouting out the perimeter and Ah-Puch tells Ren the two will be fighting. He watches as Ren takes a fighting stance and forms a shadow dragon to attack Edison, but Edison forms a barrier that deflects her attack. Ren switches tactics and uses the time rope, but that fails as well. However, an arrow comes out of nowhere and penetrates the barrier before heading for his chest. Ren and Edison run over to stop the arrow. However, Ah-Puch snatches it out of the air and introduces Ren and Edison to Montero, a member of a family of Aztec hunters. Montero, who goes by Monty, explains how her powers and arrows work, as well as the limits and risks she has on her if she fails the quest or reveals her name. Monty explains how she penetrated Edison's barrier because he was unaware of her as he thinks of ways to be prepared for all possibilities. Edison then demonstrates his offensive capabilities by firing a concussive blast at a nearby tree and explains how his magic works. After Ah-Puch says they need to know where the third lord will awaken when Ren suggests Hollywood. Ah-Puch says they cannot afford to go on guesses when Ren suggests they can use Monty's magic to track down the Cinco by the belongings they left before. The four go to Serena's tree house and find it locked. Ren, Ah-Puch, and Edison fail to open it before realizing that Monty's magic Aztec arrows could unlock it. The girl succeeds and they enter. Monty finds Serena’s shirt and works her magic before collapsing with a fever. Ren catches Monty and says she should not be part of the quest when Monty says it is her magic working and says Serena is in Hollywood. Ah-Puch tells the others to go as he has will try to figure out how to stop the rest of the lords from waking.

After hearing from Marco, who traveled to Los Angeles when Ren did not answer his texts, he picks Ren, Marco, Edison, and Monty up and brings then to a safe house in Lake Tahoe. Ren wakes up eight hours later in the safe house to be greeted by the teenage death god and Marco. Ah-Puch says he is amazed the girls survived. Ren reflects on how she was tricked and Ah-Puch tells her to be less trusting. Soon Monty and Edison enter the room and Ah-Puch asks Ren how she survived, Ren stalls until she demands he tells her about the symbol. Just then Marco, who left to change into clean clothes, returns and asks what is going on. Ren tells him Ah-Puch was about to talk about the symbol as Ah-Puch says Ren is going to talk about what happened to her while she was unconscious. The two stare each other down. Ah-Puch eventually gives in and tells them about the Time War, but not before giving them a final warning to back off or live a life of even more danger. Ah-Puch summons Saás, the all-knowing orb from SHIHOM, to explain it for him. She is reluctant at first, but Ren convinces her to tell it after explaining they are facing the Lords of Night and they could replace her with another model. Saás agrees to do so after scanning one of Monty’s arrows. She says the war involved the Mayan gods fighting an enemy older than them. Saás explains that the god defeated the enemy, who they called the unknowns, and kept a handfuls alive in prison while killing the others. Eventually the gods released them for help in creating humanity. Soon they were allied, but the alliance came to an end after learning that the unknowns were interbreeding with demons, with the resulting offspring being able to overthrow the gods. Ren asks how they are linked to the lords and Saás says the unknowns put the lords to sleep, but cannot answer why Serena knows how to wake them. After the unknowns fled but returned to check on their descendants. Monty reveals her parents told her about the lords and gives vague information on them. Ren asks about their queen, but Saás says the lord have none. Saás says the only way to put the lords back to sleep is with the obsidian blade. Ah-Puch claims it does not exist as Edison reveals it does and he knows where it is, The Dark Mercado. Edison explains that The Dark Mercado is a shady marketplace where, to get out alive, one must give up something valued in return. He also says that to get there, one must pass through the Maze of Nightmares, a maze designed to trap those in it for eternity. As Edison explains everything, Ah-Puch becomes fearful. Marco is skeptical of the idea while Ren and Monty think it is worth a shot. Ah-Puch is against it and says the maze shifts every new moon before revealing he created the maze and the market. Ah-Puch explains he created the market place to gain power, but it grew out of hand and he created the maze to contain it. After he says he cannot destroy the maze in his current state, he reveals their only option is to fight the Cinco and the lords, something only Marco agrees with. As Ren protests that they can find an alternative, Ah-Puch demands she tell them what happened when she was out cold. They go outside and Ren reveals she made a deal with the Prince Lord to become the lord's queen if he saves Monty. Ah-Puch scolds Ren for giving the lords what they want and, in a state of panic, Ren unleashes her shadows and is unable to recall them. As Monty’s arrives glow, Edison uses his magic to calm Ren's. He asks Ren to speak with him alone and the other go back inside. He and Ren hike to a gateway and, after a delayed reaction, it opens and he drags Ren through.

They emerge in a blizzard as Ah-Puch gives Ren his jacket and pounds the ice to reveal a caver. Ah-Puch pulls her in and they find themselves surrounded by cats. Ah-Puch called for someone named Seven Deaths and a woman appears. Ah-Puch introduces the woman as Seven Deaths, a former high official of Xib'alb'a and spy during the Time Wars. Seven Deaths brings them to a patio for tea as Ah-Puch asks her to refresh his memory on the Lords. Seven Deaths explains that before the lords were placed in slumber, they gave up some of their magic to loyal servants who passed the abilities through their bloodlines. After Seven Deaths reveals the ability to be shadow magic, Ren and Ah-Puch start to panic. Ren starts to have an absence seizure, but Seven Deaths plays music and Ren snaps out of it. Seven Deaths says their is a prophecy about this descendant becoming queen and returning the power to the lords, which can only happen if the individual chooses to become queen. Ren reveals they have been calling her queen and she agreed to be one. Seven Deaths is speechless as Ren silently realizes Serena thinks she is the queen. Seven Deaths says only five lords need to be awakened to reclaim the power. After Ah-Puch asks who else knew about this, Seven Deaths says she only gave the report to him. As Ah-Puch processes the revelation and questions who he might have told, Ren decides their only hope is to get the Obsidian Blade.

Ren and Ah-Puch return to the safe house and explain everything to the others and how finding the Obsidian Blade is their only option. Edison and Monty agree to join her, but Marco jumps ship. Ah-Puch takes them to the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave system in Belize where they are greeted by the remains of the Crystal Prince. Ah-Puch reveals he cannot go with them as his presence would cause the maze to collapse and gives them complicated instructions. Ah-Puch instructs all but the Crystal Prince not to speak or touch anything as they will lose a voice or body part if they do. He also tells them the maze will mess with their minds and instructs them to not follow their instincts. Once they reach the market, they are not to use any magic as the will be sent to Xib'alb'a, and the blade will call out to one of them and demand an unknown price. Everyone accepts the terms and Edison and Monty follow the Crystal Prince into the maze as Ren stays behind to hug Ah-Puch. He returns it and tells her to follow the golden arrows and that they could end up anywhere when they exit. Ren then follows her friends into the maze. After they find the blade, Ah-Puch goes to White Sands, New Mexico to pick them up and take them back to the safe house. After returning to the safe house, Ren tells Ah-Puch about the vision she saw of herself killing Edison and asks him to have Monty kill her if she becomes queen. He is reluctant and says he thinks of her as his daughter, but eventually agrees.

Monty tracks the Cinco to Lake Zirahuén in Southern Mexico and they search for their hideout. They eventually find a stone building surrounded by the gate. Ren says they should split up with Edison and Monty taking out any guards as Ah-Puch reluctantly acts as lookout. Just then, Marco arrives with his father. The war god says there are demons on the property along with bees, enemy godborns, and the Lords. Marco agrees to take out the demons as Ren creates shadow butterflies to handle the bees.

He watches as everything falls apart and laments on everything as the sun rises. He thinks of how Marco was taken with the rogue godborns, how Edison was killed by Kenji's bees, and the shock on Serena’s face when she learned she was not the queen mentioned in the prophecy. He also thinks of his promise to Ren and fights every urge to not go through with it. After meeting up with Monty, he tells the girl of his promise to Ren and she reluctantly agrees to help. Monty climbs into a tree and they see Ren step out of the forest wearing a silver dress and accompanied by the male lords. After hearing some of their dialogue, Ah-Puch realizes they plan to marry Ren to the Prince Lord. Monty notches an arrow and aims it, waiting for Ah-Puch's signal. As a crown is being lowered on Ren's head, they lock eyes and Ah-Puch hopes to see Ren in there. However, he sees nothing and he signals to Monty to fire her arrow, piercing Ren's heart.

Appearance

In Zane's book about Mayan mythology, Ah-Puch looked like a bloated zombie with decomposing gray skin with nasty black spots, and he had a dark, twisted smile. He wore this weird helmet that had eyes hanging off it, the eyes of the people he'd recently killed. Around his fat neck was a red cape made of human skin, and stitched to the hood was an owl's head that resemble Muwan. He is often depicted as a skeleton wearing a collar of dangling eyeballs from those he's killed.

When he was first released from the owl artifact prison, Ah-Puch was a skeletal figure with paper-thin transparent skin. After consuming blood, he becomes more alive with an olive complexion, and black hair and eyes standing at 6'5”. He wears a dark suit with a white shirt and dark tie.

When Zane takes him to the Empty, Ah-Puch takes the form of a monstrous blackish-green snake the size of Jazz. Writhing and slimy maggots oozed from between his scales. He had slitted eyes that blazed red and yellow fangs that glistened in the moonlight. His underbelly was red and maggoty scales.

After spending months in the Empty, Ah-Puch appears to Zane as a sickly old man with shriveled skin like a rotten apple and a thin frame standing five feet tall. He is bald with three or four hairs on his scalp. He wore a white t-shirt and baggy gray pants. He gains a semi healthier appearance when Zane give him some Maize and eventually regains his regular appearance. However within twelve hours, he gains a form resembling a middle aged man with a receding hairline. After Zane gives him his Jaguar Jade, he regains his true appearance.

After being freed from Tlaltecuhtli, he appears as a fourteen year old wearing a suit too big for him.

Personality

Conniving, manipulative, and all-powerful, Ah-Puch is a force to be reckoned with. He carries a violent grudge against the other gods and is consumed with the desire to bring about their destruction.

However in desperate situations he is shown to be willing to team up with his enemies and obey their orders to get what he wants. During his time with Zane and Ren he has grown to care for them, taking on Camazotz to keep Ren safe and giving Zane advice on how to control his fire, showing that he has a nurturing and protective side to him as well. Months after this he vows to keep the son of Hurakan safe.

Abilities

Ah-Puch presumably possesses the standard powers of a god.

• Necromancy: As the God of Death, he has control over the souls of the deceased.
  • Death Sense: Ah-Puch can sense when someone enters Xib'alb'a even after being ousted as it's king and is the only god to sense someone who has undergone a Death Ceremony. He can also sense if a person has died at a certain location.
• Umbrakinesis: As the God of Darkness, he has divine authority and absolute control over darkness and shadows.
• Destruction Aura: As the God of Destruction/Disaster, he is able to generate an aura of destruction, as shown when he destroyed the hero twins' penthouse.
• Tracking Skills: Ah-Puch has the greatest tracking abilities of any of the Mayan gods, being able to track those who have bound themselves to him and smell souls and supernatural creatures with ease.
• Typhokinesis: He is able to control smoke as he used smoke to trap and imprison Zane in a cage of smoke as well as Brooks and Quinn in a pair of smoke hands.
• Consciousness Splitting: Ah-Puch is able to send his consciousness to other plains of existence, such as sending a peace of himself to the land of the living while he was in The Empty.
• Gateway Opening: Ah-Puch can open gateways to where he and others want to go.
• Aerokinesis: During his battle with Camazotz, Ah-Puch produced a gust of wind to push Zane to the gateway.

Trivia

• Similar to the Greek Titan, Kronos, Ah-Puch carries a violent grudge against other gods for his imprisonment.
• Ah-Puch is often associated with Nakon, the war god, as wars lead to many deaths.
• Other names for Ah-Puch include Yum Cimil, Cizin, Kisin and even Xibalba. Contrary to what is depicted in The Storm Runner series, Cizin is actually Mayan for "Stinking One", Ah-Puch means "to melt."
• Sometimes, Ah-Puch is depicted with an owl head as owls are considered symbols of death.
• Funnily enough, Ah-Puch is, mythologically speaking, also the god of birth and new beginnings.
• His favorite type of corn is popcorn.
• His Greek/Roman counterparts are Thanatos/Letus, Erebos, and Perses.
• His Egyptian equivalents are Anubis and Apophis.
• His Norse equivalents are Hel and Hod.