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Paola Santiago Not part of Riordanverse

The following article/section is from the Paola Santiago continuity under Rick Riordan Presents and not the Riordanverse canon.

Bruto is a Chupacabra puppy who became the pet of Paola Santiago.

Paola Santiago series[]

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears[]

After leaving the Niños de la Luz, Pao stumbles upon him after hearing him whimper. She believes he is a threat at first and tries to fend him off, however she soon realizes he is friendly and lets him get close. He falls asleep on her lap as she names him Bruto. Upon waking up and seeing the flashlight, he becomes defensive and Pao realizes the danger the flashlight poses to him. She gives him the option of joining her as she leaves as, much to her joy, he follows her. As they walk Pao gives him some dried meat she was given to eat and yellow starbursts to help train him, however be does the exact opposite of what she tells him to do. When they are near the Rift the scene changes and he feels right at home. When the entry into the Rift opens and they see a hoard of Ahogada, they head in. The pair are attacked but they fend off the ghost children. However Pao gets tired and he is injured so Pao resolves to use her flashlight. When the light fades and they find themselves in a dome filled with water, be backs away from her in fear. Pao sees a green light heading towards them and they hide. When the coast is clear, Pao wonders if it could get worse.

As they walk to the palace, they see two fully grown chupacabras and a hoard of La Mano Panchona. When Pao sees Dante Mata, she and Bruto join him and Pao stops Dante from hurting the chupacabra puppy. Soon he and all other paranormal creatures are frozen, save for the older chupacabra, and Pao picks him up. As the larger chupacabra approaches them, a girl jumps off one of them. She orders Pao and Dante to mount the older chupacabra and they head inside the palace, when they are ordered to dismount Pao drops him and he snaps out of it and follows the others up a set of stairs. They are placed in cells and Pao uses Ondina to free him and three Lechuza. When Pao calls him he goes over to her and they go up a floor. When they arrive Ondina catches up with them as a disembodied voice scolds her into submission. After a while Ondina blames Pao for the scolding and attacks her. After they fight Bruto licks Pao's hand. When Pao convince Ondina to open a portal to La Llorona, he and the ghost girl stay behind as Pao confronts the weeping woman. However when Pao is about to be used in the resurrection ceremony, he attacks La Llorona to save Pao, but he is knocked off her. After the sacrifices are freed, he goes to Pao and licks her happily. When they leave The Rift he is separated from the four but reunites with them shortly after. The happily licks Pao, who notices his eyes are no longer green, and they head to the Riverside Palace Apartments. He becomes defensive when Carmela Mata sneaks up from behind group as their destination is in sight. When Pao's mother sees him she allows her daughter to keep him. He happily greets Dante and Emma when they come over three days later to watch the SpaceX launch.

The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities: New Stories About Mythic Heroes[]

Bruto and the Freaky Flower[]

A few weeks after being found, he is resting by her door and Pao sees if he wants to play. However he is unresponsive and Pao starts to worry and moves him to her bed. As she lists all the medical facts she memorized when thinking of a breed of dog to get, her mother walks by to say she is going to work. Pao hides Bruto under her covers and uncovers him when she leaves for work. Wishing he could talk, Pao starts to see a cactus with red flowers by the banks of the deepest section of the Gila River. Pao is startled and breaks the connection. Realizing Bruto is showing her something, she asks him to continue. She sees other chupacabra puppies around the flowers. The images stop and Pao comes up with a plan. After changing in beige clothing, she scoops up Bruto and tries to sneak out, but Dante's abuela catches her and, not buying her excuse of walking Bruto, she tells Pao to go. Soon Dante comes out to head to soccer practice, but after hearing Bruto is sick, he decides to help Pao and carries him for her. Señora Mata throws Dante her Arma del Alma and they head to the river.

Pao fills Dante in as they walk to the river, unsure where exactly the flowers are. As they walk, he stays quiet and his body temperature drops. Pao fears he might die, but Dante distracts her by talking about different antics Bruto got in. They find the flowers just as the sun is about to set and Pao goes to get one, but she trips on a rock. When she gets up she notices that the rocks are moving and they are soon dodging rocks. Dante activates his soul weapon and hands it to a surprised Pao as he takes Bruto to safety, hiding him in a hollow cactus before returning. He smashes rock monsters until a howl comes out of the distance. Dante returns, tells her he hid Bruto in a hollow cactus. After getting the flowers, which rots quickly, she finds Bruto. She offers him the flower and he eats it, gaining energy as he eats. She is relieved that Bruto is alright and they rush to Dante to find him battling the monster and winning. Pao sees the puppies trying to force it into the river, but she realizes they will be crushed. Pao borrows the soul weapon and hits the giant’s left leg, knocking it into the water. When it falls in, the puppies devour the flowers. Pao and Dante meet back up and she wonders if Bruto would stay with his own kind or come back with them. Bruto comes back to them and they head back to the Riverside Palace Apartments.

Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares[]

Six months after being taken in by Pao, he watches as she wakes up from a nightmare and tries to stop her from looking through the backpack of Aaron, the boyfriend of Pao's mother.

A few days later he, Maria, and Emma are trapped by green light and are willed by Pao to come to her. He stays with Pao as she lures The Hitchhiker to a burned tree and goes with her as she is teleported somewhere.

They find themselves on the same path Pao dreamt of and walk it. At the top they find a trailer and a pickup truck and head for it. As Pao knocks on the door, she hears two male voices, one pleading to stop something and the other promising the former, Beto, his freedom if he does this. The door opens and a man walks out and hugs her. After a minute, Pao starts to ask questions, but he starts to talk to himself and she realizes he was talking to her. He guards her as she walks away, but the man says he can answer her questions. Pao tries to run, but she is ensnared in tendrils of dark energy. She calls to him for help, but he only obeys the man as he brings them into the trailer. He obediently sits by the man. After Maria arrives he is freed from his control and goes outside with Emma as Pao and Beto close the void. After the other soul is purged from Beto, he greets the niños when they arrive at his trailer.

Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows[]

Pao accidentally wakes him up when she gets out of bed. In the morning he gets off the bed and refuses to get back on, causing Pao to cry from the pent up feelings of uselessness she feels.

A couple of days later he happily greets Pao after she has been a way for a few days. He goes with Pao, Beto, and the other children to the Niños and Dante watches him as the girls speak with the Niños. After Dante is revealed to be a copy, he attacks the imposter but is quickly subdued. After Pao readies the Niños for war, he stands by her side. When El Cucuy's forces overrun the warehouse, he guards Maria as she tends to be wounded. After the fighting he goes over to Pao.

Appearance[]

Bruto resembles a Xoloitzcuintle, a hairless dog from Mexico, with a long tail and purple spines along his back and head. He is the size of a cat. His eyes glowed green due to the influence of The Rift, but turned black one it was destroyed.

While he was small at first, he has grown significantly in a year.

Personality[]

Unlike most chupacabras, Bruto is rather friendly.

Abilities[]

  • Visual Telepathy: Bruto can send images from his mind to others.

Eythmology[]

  • Bruto means "stupid" in Spanish.

Trivia[]

  • Bruto is the second known friendly creature from a dangerous species in both the main literary universe and Rick Riordan Presents, the first being Mrs. O'Leary.
  • He is crazy about pork.
Paola Santiago series
Books: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears | Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares | Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows
Main Characters: Paola Santiago | Dante Mata | Emma Lockwood | Bruto | Naomi
Secondary Characters: Maria Santiago | Ondina | Marisa Martínez | Carmela Mata | Beto | Joaquín | Kit | Robin Long
Minor Characters: Karen Lockwood | Sal | Franco | Aaron | Johnny | Shadow Dante
Mythical Creatures: Chupacabra | La Llorona | Ahogada | La Mano Panchona | Lechuza | Duendecillos | Cadejo | The Hitchhiker | El Cucuy | Falsita
Related Content: Tehlor Kay Mejia | Rick Riordan Presents | Bruto and the Freaky Flower | Disney+ series
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