The Storm Runner

This article is about the book. For the boy with the nickname, see Zane Obispo.

The Storm Runner
Attribution
Author	Jennifer Cervantes
Publication Information
Publisher	Hyperion Books (with Rick Riordan Presents)
Release date	September 18, 2018
Pages	448
Chronology
Preceded by	None
Followed by	The Fire Keeper

The Storm Runner is a novel written by Jennifer Cervantes under Rick Riordan Presents as the first book of the Storm Runner series. It was released on September 18th, 2018.

Synopsis

A contemporary adventure based on Mayan mythology from Rick Riordan Presents! Zane has always enjoyed exploring the dormant volcano near his home in New Mexico, even though hiking it is challenging. He’d much rather hang out there with his dog, Rosie, than go to middle school, where kids call him Sir Limps a Lot, McGimpster, or Uno—for his one good leg. What Zane doesn’t know is that the volcano is a gateway to another world and he is at the center of a powerful prophecy. A new girl at school, Brooks, informs him that he’s destined to release an evil god from the ancient Mayan relic he is imprisoned in–unless she can find and remove it first. Together they return to the volcano, where all kinds of crazy happens. Brooks turns into a hawk, a demon attacks them in a cave, and Rosie gives her all while trying to protect Zane. When Zane decides to save his dog no matter the cost, he is thrust into an adventure full of surprising discoveries, dangerous secrets, and an all-out war between the gods, one of whom happens to be his father. To survive, Zane will have to become the Storm Runner. But how can he run when he can’t even walk well without a cane?

Development

A week before the book was released, Jennifer Cervantes revealed seven fun facts each day about the book. Rosie was based on her own dog. The Beast was inspired by a dormant volcano seen from her backyard. Chapter 13 (though may have meant the previous one) was inspired by a trip where Cervantes and her family went snorkeling in a dark cenote, they found thousands of bats on the ceiling. Cervantes listened to Game of Thrones' songs while drafting which resulted in similar scenes in her book. The Winds of Winter, Light of the Seven, The Tower-Bonus Track, Winter Has Come, Blood of My Blood, Coronation, A Lannister Always Pays His Debts, and the main title to be more specific. As part of her research in writing the story of Zane Obispo, Cervantes read eleven books, watched four documentaries, worked with two Mayanists, and wished her grandmother was still alive a million times. When this book first sold, a "baby urchin" asked if she would get to meet Rick Riordan. So she came to NYC for BEA, took a picture and snapchatted to everyone. Finally, Jennifer Cervantes dedicated her book to those who don't feel like they belong because some of us have to know the in-between spaces before we can turn the world upside down and create the place where we do belong.

Opening Letter

“	To Whom It May Concern, Here it is. The story you forced me to write, with the details up to the butter and unhappy end. All so I could serve as your poster boy for what happens when anyone defies the gods. I never wanted any of this. But you didn't give me a choice. I ended up here because of some sacred oath I didn't even take, and because I made you so mad you wanted me dead. I guess you got what you wanted. Personally, I think you should be thanking me, but gods never show gratitude, do they? I just want you to know I don't regret any of it. I'd do it all again, even knowing I ended up. Okay, maybe I do have one regret-that I won't get to see your shocked faces when you read this. Anyhow, delivery made. See you on the other side.	”
–Zane Obispo

Plot

An Encounter in the Dessert

File:VISDEV-2872 readriordan zane.1200.jpg

Zane Obispo

Thirteen-year old Zane Obispo was born with mismatched legs and has been homeschooled. He spends his time in the New Mexico desert with his three-legged boxer-dalmatian, Rosie, he took in after someone apparently abandoned her. He lives with his mother and uncle Hondo, his neighbors are the pepper gardener, Mr. Ortiz, and the blind phone physic, Antonia Caballero. There is also a dead volcano, the Beast, in his yard that Zane suspects may have a connection to his father who left before he was born.

After a year of home schooling, Mrs. Obispo decided to enroll Zane at a private school called Holy Ghost. His first day is tomorrow, Zane is not happy because of his shorter right leg but he accepts when his mother cries. His mother also gave him a present: a wooden cane from the recently deceased Mr. Chang. That night, Zane looked a book about Mayan Mythology. Last month, he discovered a labyrinth of caves and made it his own private place. He went back there that night with Rosie who ran towards some giant paw prints. Ignoring it,

His cane

Zane and Rosie climbed the volcano, he thought about ways to get out of school when a plane suddenly came flying close to them. It looked there was an alien was inside, it crashed into the Beast causing Zane and Rosie to fly back. When he wakes up he races back home to find his mother worried, Rosie was already there. An ambulance, cops, fire trucks, and camera crews came. They couldn't find any planes, Mr. Ortiz and Ms. Cab were worried about Zane, she says evil lurks here. Rosie suddenly runs off, Zane gives chase and sees what was in that plane: a demon from Xib’alb’a, the Mayan Underworld, similar to one he read in his book. It told Zane "Apu", when mom came up he kills the demon with his cane. When he got back home, he soaked the book in his mom's holy water and hid it under some dirty clothes.

Meeting Brooks

The following morning, Rosie accompanies Zane to the shuttle where other students whisper about him. At school, one of the kids accidentally knocks him against the lockers and elbows him in the stomach. Zane then whacks the kid in the head with his cane, earning him a trip to Father Baumgarter's office, while waiting he sees a girl who introduces herself as Brooks. She says she will meet him later and she disappears by the time he gets out of the office. At home, his uncle Hondo is watching wrestling with his friends. Soon Brooks appears at his doorstep and tells him she knows everything about him and they need to talk. He slams the door in her face and she keeps knocking until Hondo lets her in, she tells him they need to talk. Just then, Zane’s mother comes and the two walk outside. She says she will come back the following day.

The next day at school, Zane asks the secretary about Brooks, who says no one with that name attends the school. Zane starts to aggravate her and she gives him detention. He is picked up by Mr. Ortiz who asks him about Ms. Caballero. When they get home Zane finds Brooks there, she tells him that his life is in danger and Zane asks her about the demon he saw the night before. He lets slip about his volcano and they go to his backyard. Rosie then becomes aggressive toward Brooks and Zane shields her. When he calms Rosie down Brooks has vanished. Zane realizes that, rather than vanishing, Brooks turned into a hawk and flew into a near by Pecan tree. Hondo shouts out the window and asks Zane what Rosie was barking at, he tells him she was barking at nothing. Hondo shuts the window and goes back to watching wrestling. Brooks turns back into a human and comes down when Rosie stops barking. She takes him to the volcano and tells him she is a nawal, a Mayan shapeshifter. She tells Zane that he is in danger and the subject of a Mayan prophecy: the Prophecy of Fire. As they find the entrance Zane found, she tells him how Ah-Puch - the god of death, destruction and darkness, once ruled over the lowest level of Xib’alb’a until he fought the other gods and was imprisoned in an artifact. Zane wonders why he is linked to it, Brooks tells him he is destined to release Ah-Puch during a solar eclipse. Zane in in disbelief, however Brooks says she wants his help finding it so that she can take it away before the next eclipse, which is the following day. They hear a noise and find a demon runner. Brooks attacks it with her flashlight, but the battery dies and they run as it starts to ooze poison. Zane chooses to sacrifice himself so the others can get to safely. However Rosie gets past him and sinks her teeth into the creatures. Brooks turns into a hawk and attacks the demon runner. It grabs Zane by his short leg and drags him after it touches Rosie against the wall. Zane agrees to help it if he is released, he jams his cane into it and it devolves into goo.

Learning his heritage

Rosie, Zane's dog

Soon after Zane cradles Rosie as she dies and her body turns to mist. They leave the volcano and Brooks leaves Zane, but not before realizing he is a supernatural. He witnesses an owl that flew away after saying that the prophecy has begun. He sees a set of headlights coming up and he passes out as Ms. Caballero arrives. He wakes up in her living room and she heals his injuries. She removes her blind eyes and puts in grey seeing eyes. She also tells him to be wary of Brooks. She tells him that she is a Nik’wachinel, Mayan seer, and that he is only part human. Ms. Cab says his father is supernatural, but only his mother knows his name. She tells him once Ah-Puch is freed, he will drain Zane of his blood, but she plans to offer the death god snake blood as a substitute. She also says the gods will know when he will be freed. Reluctantly, she agrees in trying to bring Rosie back if Zane stays in his house, he agrees and goes home.

At home he reads about Xia’alb’a and Ah-Puch in his book and, after getting frustrated enough, asks Mr. Ortiz to drive him to the bank. When they arrive, he gets her attention and demands to know his heritage. Before she could tell him, an alux appears and tries to kill Zane. His mother tries to get to the safety of the deposit box cage but it reaches them before they can reach it. Hondo arrives and distracts it while Zane and his mother escape in her car. When they break down by a farm, the alux shows up and his mother tells Zane to run while she goes out with a crowbar. It holds it’s dagger to her throat, but Brooks arrives and rips it off her. Zane goes into the field. He returns with Brooks and they head home. She says Hondo subdued the alux and alerted the police. He is home when they get back and Mrs. Obispo offers for Brooks to spend the night. She tells him that someone wanted him dead so he would not release Ah-Puch. The following day he wakes up at 2:30 to find his mother gone and Brooks outside. He changes clothes and hears Rosie and goes outside to find her, before realizing the noise came from the volcano.

Finding Ah-Puch

File:Screenshot 2018-10-10 at 2.24.30 PM.png

Ah-Puch's black owl

Zane goes to his entrance and looks fantastically for Rosie. He touches the wall and realizes he touched demon runner venom. Brooks arrives and tells him to squeeze it out. She slits open his forearm and he squeezes. When it is out she tells Zane the call came to him as Rosie to get him to free Ah-Puch. She also tells him she is only part-nawal, and is being refused training due to her heritage. She says her mother is dead and her father has remarried. She thinks that stopping the release of Ah-Puch, she will get her training. Brooks suggests Zane's father might be a magician, she says they are powerful and dangerous. She mentions a pyramid in Mexico called the Pyramid of the Magician, also known as the Pyramid of the Soothsayer. Zane hears Rosie again and finds an opening leading to a chamber with a pool leading to the death god himself. They look up and see resting demon runners who wake up so Zane takes Brooks, who can’t swim, and plunges into the water. They swim down an underwater cave and find the other side. They are followed by a demon runner, who drags Brooks under water, but Zane frees her and drags her unconscious body to shore. Zane watches as the demon runner disintegrates. Zane tries to save her but she is unresponsive. He sees a light coming from a column that opens to reveal a small ceramic owl containing Ah-Puch. As the solar eclipse starts, the death god tells Zane to free him. He promises is he can save Brooks and bring Rosie back. Zane climbs the wall and breaks the owl, freeing the god.

Ah-Puch emerges as a skeletal figure that, after consuming blood from a creative given to him by Muwan, becomes an intimidating looking man. He changes the scene from the cave to a penthouse balcony in Los Angeles. Zane pleads with him to save Brooks and bring Rosie back. She says he will do so if Zane pledges himself to the death god and answers his call in "three moons." A man’s voice tells Zane not to and he sees a figure across the way. However, Zane pledges himself to Ah-Puch anyway before he is blown away. He sees his mom with the man telling him to refuse, now realizing he is his dad. He wakes up in his room with Brooks and looks for Rosie with no success. He wonders why Ah-Puch would spare Brooks but not return Rosie. Brooks then hears his thoughts and he reads hers, she realizes that Zane is the son of a Mayan god and realizes the prophecy, a powerful innocent with ancient blood, realizing that since the gods imprisoned Ah-Puch, only a god or their mortal decedent can free him. Zane is shocked by this and asks Brooks how to lock her out from his telepathy, much to her frustration. He apologizes and she sees a skull tattoo on his wrist, symbolizing his service to Ah-Puch. He promises he will stop him before that happens.

Hondo tells Zane and Brooks about a giant chicken pecking at the front door for two hours. They check it out and it heads towards Ms. Cab’s house. Hondo opens the door and finds her box of eyeballs and faints. The giant chicken then picks them up and puts them back in the box after Hondo dropped them before fainting. Zane realize the chicken is Ms. Cab. Mr. Ortiz shows up soon after and Zane explains the Mayan gods existing to them and tells Ms. Cab about his encounter with Ah-Puch. Hondo and Mr. Ortiz quickly accept this and offer to help Zane however they can. Hondo offers to drive him and Brooks to their next destination, an opening to the underworld. While Mr. Ortiz watches Ms. Cab. Before they leave, Mr. Ortiz wants to give something to Zane.

Going to the Hero Twins

Brooks, a nawal

He takes Zane to his greenhouse and gives him his creation: La Muerte, the hottest pepper in the world that he wanted to show to Guinness and get Ms. Cab to marry him. He says it can paralyze the eater for several hours. He tells Zane he has faith in the boy and to keep it a secret. He helps Hondo with his note to his mother and they look at the getaway map. They find an entrance to Xib’alb’a in Venice Beach then realize that Ah-Puch wants to take revenge on the hero twins Jun’ajpu’ and Xb’alamkej. Brooks tries to talk them out of it as she claims they are arrogant and refuse to share how they defeated Ah-Puch. Zane and Hondo disagree and feel this is their only option. She tells them their birthday is the following day and they have to get there before 9:00. She reveals she has an invitation and they head out.

Brooks tells Hondo to take I-10 to Tuscan. Zane fallen asleep and sees Rosie, but she disappears when he hugs her and sees look-alike reflections of her in the trees. He is swept away by liquid and his hands are burning. He wakes up and Brooks realizes Hondo missed the exit and they are in Yuma. Hondo drops the kids at a fast food restaurant while he gets gas. Brooks orders three meals and as they are finishing up, they see three bikers come in and head towards them. They quickly finish and leave. As they reach Hondo's truck, the biker reveal themselves to be copies of them, Brooks realizes that they are demons playing a trick on them like the mirrors in Zane's dream. They demand Brooks and ensnare the three. Zane and Hondo easily take care of their doubles, with five more demons taking the form of Brooks and mimicking her and her copy. After the cashier pours boiling oil on Hondo’s double the six Brooks copies release each other and one snaps at Zane who tells Hondo she is the real one. They take out the copies and hit the road. Brooks tells Zane she lost her shapeshifting abilities, he is shock by this and asks Brooks how this could happen, but she refuses and goes to sleep.

Zane falls asleep as well and dreams of his volcano erupting while pushing Ms. Cab as a chicken in a shopping cart. She tells Zane to attack Ah-Puch in his blind spot. When he wakes up, he discovers that they have arrived at a beach in San Diego. He nudges Brooks awake and she shrugs it off. He sees Hondo getting breakfast and he heads to the Pacific Ocean. Soon after he writes Zane was here in the sand, writing appears telling him to look out and go to the sea. He sees a woman and goes out to talk with her. She introduces herself as Pacific, the former Mayan goddess of time, and says his father sent her to talk with him. He asks why and she tells Zane that she gave the Prophecy of Fire and his father saved her from death. She also says that human children of the gods are not allowed under penalty of death, this is due to the hero twins of Ixkik, goddess of the Blood Moon. Before leavening, Pacific gives him a tooth made from Jaguar Jade, a strong magic material and calls him Storm Runner. As he swims he loses the tooth but regains it after he gets to shore. After he goes back to Brooks and Hondo they drive it Venice Beach. When they get out Zane meets a tarot card reader who knows and is singing about the Prophecy of Fire. Brooks drags him away and leads the others to a shop run by her friend Jazz the giant. He tells them that the gods know Ah-Puch has been released and the gods are pointing fingers at each other. Jazz also says he will personally kill who ever released the death god, much to Zane's horror. Jazz starts to pass out and grow due to his diabetes. They give him Red Bull to help him. He starts to hum the song that Santiago, the tarot card reader, was singing. Jazz becomes suspicious because Santiago is supposed to be invisible to mortals. Soon Zane feels a stabbing in his leg and passes out.

Hurakan, the Mayan god of storms, fire, and wind, one of the creator gods, and Zane’s father.

When Zane comes to he finds himself in the form of a jaguar an top of a Mayan pyramid in the middle of a jungle. A larger and black jaguar appears and introduces himself as Hurakan, the god of storms and his father. He tells his son that his soul is the Empty, an in-between space of his creation. He tells Zane he imprisoned Ah-Puch and build the volcano. Zane asks why he never contacted him before. Hurakan tells him son he was shielding him by sending storms whenever he experienced fear of sadness and that was not him. Zane asks why Pacific called him the Storm Runner when he realized he cannot run from Ah-Puch, Hurakan says that's the name of the one in the Prophecy of Fire and that he must face the death god one-on-one. He tells Zane to head to the Old World and look for Saqik’oxol, the White Sparkstriker. Zane says he has his own plans before angrily running off. Hurakan catches up with Zane and tells him he has his snake leg, which makes him strong, Zane leaves the Empty shortly after. Zane wakes up in Jazz’s apartment and they tell him he was out for hours, they tell the giant that Zane tends to faint when he’s nervous, Jazz brings Zane a mug of hot chocolate. Jazz mentions the Bakabs, the four giants holding the sky, and Zane asks him about them. When Zane finishes Jazz calls him out for being supernatural. Brooks lies and says me is a magician. Jazz gives them formal wear that temporarily erases the wearer‘s worst physical quality to make them appear more attractive. Before they head out, Zane mixes the juice from the La Muerte with some leftover hot chocolate with plans to use it on Ah-Puch. Jazz lends them a magical scooter that will get them to the twins in five minutes and the three head out.

Meeting the Twins

A skull, the symbol that means death

They are impressed by the scooter's speed, Hondo is driving with Brooks in the middle and Zane in the back. He tells them he met his father and that he is Hurakan, much to Brook's shock. They run into cops but Hondo hits the turbo and they reach their destination by crashing into the bushes of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Hondo's arm is broken but the clothes heal it and fix their appearances from the crash. They head inside and go to the third floor. Brooks tells them they will have to play a mind game with the twins and mus trade magic before entering. They come face to face with Flanco, a skeletal ticket taker. She says she lost her invitation and introduces Zane and Hondo as Rana (Frog) and El Rey (king) respectively. He lets them in and they take the elevator to their party. Brooks explains that humans come to their parties in order to become famous- in exchange for their dreams, talents and love, and if their desire involves their talents then the twins eventually take them and end their careers. One of the twins, Jordan, shows up and greets to Brooks, he reveals that her sister was supposed to marry his brother. She tells him she will not, however he tells Brooks she has no choice. Jordan takes them to his twin, Bird, to ask them how they defeated Ah-Puch, but the twins do not answer him. A man with a large burn scar on his face asks the twins for a job to pay for his daughter's piano lessons, he offers to trade his daughter's beauty and the twins agree. Zane and company are disgusted by this and challenge the twins to a game. If Zane wins he gets the information to defeat Ah-Puch, but if the twins win then they get his jaguar jade. Zane agrees and both parties want to pick the game, the twins offer a coin toss and tell them Jaguar or Death, Zane chooses death but it lands on jaguar.

As they head out, Jordan snatches the spiked hot chocolate and drinks it, ruining Zane’s back-up plan. They notice Hondo is not feeling well and Brooks confirms he ate food from the party that, despite boosting the twin’s abilities, is poisonous to humans. They make their way to the basketball court and start the game and Zane easily scores. However he is not burned when the hoop burst into flames, much to Bird‘s confusion. Brooks calls for sudden death and, seconds later, Muwan and Ah-Puch arrive and thank Zane, he realizes that the mark acts as a tracking device. The twins quickly realize Zane was the one who freed Ah-Puch. However before they can do anything, Jordan gives in to La Meurte and goes limp with Bird trying desperately to revive his brother. Ah-Puch reveals that the twins only defeated a few of his underlings rather them himself, they tricked the gods into their pact so they can not have more demigod competition. The Yant'o Triad (whom Hurakan warned Zane about) arrives and engulf the twins before carrying them away, before leaving Ah-Puch says he will come for Zane very soon. As Zane and Brooks struggle with Hondo, Jazz arrives and picks him up. He leads the to to an aircraft manned by Flanco and jump on, Brooks enjoys it while Zane does not. Jazz takes them to his boat and they jump off with Zane helping a terrified Brooks to the vessel. Zane is angry at the twins and Jazz takes Hondo bellow deck. He say he saw what was happening through minicams in their clothes, but heard nothing due to a take of audio system. He says he received a letter and that said to take them to the Old World and that they should be there in a day.

Heading to and Exploring the Old World

Zane and Brooks talk and she reveals that in order to stop Quinn, her sister, from marrying Bird, they needed the help of Ixtab, the goddess who ruled Xib’alb’a after Ah-Puch. The goddess agreed in exchange for Quinn escorting souls to the underworld for a few months. However, Ixtab became intrigued by how powerful a nawal she was and refused to release her from servitude. Brooks then revealed that she made a deal to deliver Ah-Puch to her in exchange for Quinn’s freedom, but if she failed then Brooks must serve Ixtab, she agreed and set out to find Zane. She explains that the demons they fought in Yuma were there to bring her to the goddess for failing. She tells Zane he actually had a choice to ignore the call, but he said he could not since she was dying. Brooks soon falls asleep and Zane sees a figure approaching the boat. The figure introduces himself as K’ukumatz (who prefers the name Mat) and explains that he sent the letter and him and Pacific, who appears moments later, are going to shave a few hours off their trip. They tell Zane the gods are choosing sides for the upcoming war as trust has already been broken. Zane gets frustrated that his father can not come to him in person. The gods tell him that godhood is something that must be earned, and that he can reach his full power in the Old World. Soon after they leave, Brooks wakes up and, after telling her K’ukumatz, she is disappointed he did not get the creator god’s autograph.

Later he dreams of Ms. Cab, who informs him that his mother and Mr. Ortiz are alright and tells him he must stop Ah-Puch. Jazz soon wakes him and Brook up and tells them they have reached the gateway to the Old World, it is shaped like a giant person's head. He asks both of them for a personal item, Zane gives his cane while Brooks gives one of her boots. After tossing the cane the gateway/mouth opens. After entering, Jazz questions Zane about his connection to the gods before his mark starts to burn and peel away to reveal a pair of eyes, Ah-Puch’s actual eyes. Soon the walls start to close in and Jazz inflates a raft and and loads Hondo onto it and drags Brooks with him. Zane passes the Jaguar jade to her, who drops it, and submerges his wrist in the water filled with killer fish, even though it was extremely painful. The others get back on the boat and patch Zane’s hand up. Hondo wakes up and Zane is relieved that he is okay. The walls stop closing in and they continue on. Jazz figures out that Zane is a godborn and realizes he set Ah-Puch free. Brooks tries to calm him down by saying she did it to save her. They reach shore and set out to find the lightning striker to train Zane.

One of Brooks' hawk feathers

They wander through the jungle until they reach five pyramids. Jazz explains that this is where the five strongest gods and goddesses, Hurakan, Ixtab, the war god Nakon, the chocolate goddess Ixkawkaw (who overthrew Ixchel), and the sky god Alom in the Mayan pantheon met to destroy and recreate the universe. They set up base camp and, a few hours later, Zane awakes to find a red clothed and masked figure over him. She is carrying a hammer in a manner of the Grim Reaper but says she is "nobody". Zane sees a metallic tree, the same one from his dreams of Rosie, and he chases after nobody. He catches up to her but she transforms into an eagle and flies off. Zane finds a hold with lights fading in and out of a cave within in the hole and descends into the pit. When he reaches the bottom he finds the Sparkstriker and she give him a cane that can hide his limp and turn into a spear. She tells him to fish a lightning bolt out of the pool and he does. She tells Zane to lay on the slab she has been working on so she can pound the lighting bolt into his shot leg. He is hesitant at first, but she tells Zane that the bolt will unlock any power he inherited from his father and that his serpent leg, his short leg, is the source of his powers and the strongest part of him. Zane agrees and she pounds the bolt into his leg.

During the procedure, Zane goes to the Empty and speaks with his father. He says the lighting bolt will unlock whichever power Zane inherited from him. Zane quickly finds out he has power over fire, Hurakan tells him to be careful with his gift, as fire is difficult to control. He tells Zane to focus and he takes in energy from the sun. He starts to burn up but Hurakan tells him not to quit. Seconds later, a wave crashes down on them and the storm god tells him to release the power. Zane soon gets called back to his body and informs Saqik'oxol of his dominate power. Moments later she informs Zane that the death god is near.

Fighting the Death God

Ah-Puch, the god of death

Nobody returns and Zane realizes she is Quinn, Brooks’s sister. Sparkstriker goes silent for a moment before she announces the gods are almost upon them. Quinn turns into an eagle and Zane hops on. As they reach camp, he sees Jazz and Hondo but he notices Brooks is missing. Suddenly Muwan arrives and attacks Quinn, injuring her left wing and sending her and Zane spiraling toward the ground. Zane throws his cane, which turns into a spear mid-flight, and hits the owl square in the chest and down into the trees. He manages to help Quinn land in a clearing and she reverts to human form. Moments later Brooks arrives and is relieved to see her sister. Ah-Puch arrives soon after and surrounds the sisters in hands of smoke. He tells Zane he will pay for Muwan’s death. Demon runners start to appear and Zane recalls his cane and kills one. Moments later new demons arrives followed by Ixtab. She aims a fireball at Ah-Puch, but Zane save him. Before Zane can strike again, Ixtab summons a pair of Hellhounds and he realizes one is in fact Rosie! He is shocked to see his dog like this, but moments later Ah-Puch imprisons him in a cage of smoke. Soon Jazz and Hondo arrive with Demon Decintegration Flashlights and start attacking both sides of demons, Brooks temporarily gets her shapeshifting back when Ixtab is knocked out by Quinn. Ah-Puch releases the smoke cage and Zane thrusts his spear at the death god, but he vanished and reappears behind him and squires Zane’s neck. Just then, the council of gods arrive.

Zane watches as Quinn and Brooks get Hondo and Jazz away to safety. Hurakan steps forward and introduces Zane to the other gods as the one spoken of in the prophecy and his son. He says that by claiming Zane in the old world in the presences of the council, he will reach his full power. The other gods, with the exception of K’ukumatz, are shocked and sentence him to death. However, Ixtab convinces them to let Zane fight Ah-Puch before killing him, they agree. Zane takes the death god to the Empty, but the god of death taunts Zane by saying the gods will kill him if he kills him. As Ah-Puch, who is in the form of a giant snake with maggots, attacks him, Zane leads him to an abyss and throws them both in. Zane releases a wave of fire on Ah-Puch before the death god vanishes into the inky blackness.

Zane Obispo wakes up in a cell in Xib'alb'a, Ixtab says he will spend the rest of his life pounding stone. But first, he has to write his story on magic paper from Itzam-yée to the gods in one day, and Ixtab also says he's dead! 

Postscripts

However, included in this book are two postscripts that Zane did not include for the gods.

Ixtab takes Zane Obispo to a room once he finishes his manuscript and she reveals that she is actually very proud of Zane for getting rid of Ah-Puch. She summons Rosie and says she helped convince the gods he was dead. The war has been averted, Nakon round up all of Ah-Puch's minions, the hero twins are getting their just deserts, and everything Ixtab did was for Zane's own good. She say that he is still alive, but he and his family will have to be hidden to convince the gods he is dead while a demon will be used to make it look like he is in Xib’alb’a if they come to check on him. She says that Hurakan has been imprisoned for the moment. She reveals to Zane that there were other godborns before him, but they were hidden away and have since died. She also says Quinn was a spy for her and she had to make their encounters look convincing, but she says she would not have let Zane get hurt. Before she finishes, she tells Zane he has to catch a cab.

As they travel under the ocean, he thinks of K’ukumatz and Pacific and what will become of them. They arrive at his new house, a two-floor beach house on Isla Holbox with the Beast, now with an emergency doorway to Xib’alb’a, moved close by. She gives him his cane back before leaving and allows Rosie to stay with him. His mother and Hondo come running up to him and tell him they decided to open up a surf shop. Zane asks what happened after they left him. Hondo says they ended up at Jazz’s shop, who closes it to open up an electronic company AGE: Advanced Giant Engineering. He says he has not seen Brooks since. When the Obispos are relaxing on their deck Mr. Ortiz and Ms. Cab drop by and say they will be visiting. While he is relaxing by the shore Brooks arrives and he and Rosie greet her. She says that she and Quinn are now fugitives. Zane tells her he plans to free his father. Brooks says they should wait on it. As he and Rosie jump into the sea, they see Brooks fly off. He questions what Ixtab told him, believing that there are more godborns out there, they may have even been reading the story he wrote.

Characters

• Zane Obispo
• Brooks
• Rosie
• Ah-Puch
• Hondo Obispo
• Jazz
• Hurakan
• Antonia Caballero
• Ixtab
• Mrs. Obispo
• Mr. Ortiz
• Muwan
• K’ukumatz
• Pacific
• Quinn
• Jordan
• Bird
• Yant'o Triad
• Nakon
• Ixkawkaw
• Alom
• Saqik’oxol
• Flanco
• Santiago
• Demon Runners
• Demons
• Alux
• Hellhound
• Paramedic
• Officer Smart

Chapters

The Storm Runner has 42 chapters in both Mayan and traditional numbers with two postscript chapters in the end. The chapters are told in the first person by Zane.

Trivia

• Jennifer Cervantes also dedicated this book to her mother, her "seer".
• The Storm Runner was the second book released by Rick Riordan Presents.
• The book was originally meant to be a stand alone rather than the first of a trilogy.
• As most schools in New Mexico start in August, it is assumed the book takes place in August.
• On the bottom of page 210 in chapter 20, Hondo says they are looking for gods "that ride motorcycles". This could be a reference to Ares in the Camp Half-Blood series.
  • However towards the end, Nakon appears dressed like a biker, which Zane calls cliché.

Mentions of Other Cultures

• As Cervantes mentioned on Twitter, some parts of the book are similar to scenes in Game of Thrones.
  • The scene at the end where Brooks flies away while Zane and Rosie head towards the Beast is similar to Daenerys Targaryen finally sails for Westeros.
  • The scene where Zane blasts Ah-Puch with fire is similar to when a wildfire destroys the Great Sept.
  • The part in the Empty where Hurakan reveals to Zane that he is his father may be similar to when it was revealed that Lyanna Stark is the mother of Jon Snow.
  • The part where Hurakan claims Zane in front of the Mayan god council might be similar to when Jon was declared King of the North.
  • The scene where Zane, Brooks and Hondo first leave may be somewhat similar to when Daenerys chose her bloodriders.
  • The part where Ah-Puch arrives to kidnap Jordan and Bird is similar to when Euron Greyjoy arrived at King's Landing to meet Cersei Lannister.
  • The scene where Ms. Cab and Zane discuss the Prophecy of Fire may be similar to when Cersei tells Margaery Tyrell the story of House Reyne of Castamere's failed rebellion.
• Jordan and Bird named themselves after the basketball stars, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.