Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Moana. All belong to Disney and the story's creators. I only own Lahela.

Wow, I am sorry for how long this update took, but on the plus side, it's the longest yet. I had a really difficult time writing this chapter so I apologize if it's terrible. I'm also a lot busier than expected with school. I don't expect to get any updates out during the first half of the week. Most of my writing will be getting done on weekends it looks like.

I hope you enjoy the story. Thank you to those that have reviewed and keep letting me know what you think!

- ShadowMoon2430


Chapter 6

The landform in the distance was growing closer as the sky gradually lightened from the darkness of night. Lahela was laid out at the front of the boat, eyes trailed on the land, as she let her hand casually run through the water.

"Perhaps it's time to wake up Moana. We'll be there soon." Lahela paused as she pushed herself up a bit to turn and look at Maui. "I know you plan on having her stay here, but she's going to follow us. Even if we left her sleeping, I doubt she'd just stay put."

"It's Lalotai. Do you honestly think she would come out of there alive?"

"Not on her own, but she's not on her own." She smirked as she eyed him. "Surely, once you have your hook, getting one little mortal out of there would be no problem."

Maui shot her down. "She's not coming."

"We'll see." Lahela turned around then as she went to wake up their topic of interest. "Moana." She shook her shoulder slightly and waited for her to catch her bearings.

"Enjoy your beauty rest?" Maui asked as he gave Moana a patronizing look. "You know, a real wayfinder never sleeps so they actually get where they need to go."

Confusion crossed her face as she looked around, almost expecting them to be lost at sea.

Maui turned to the girls as he pulled their boat along the rocks of the land. "Muscle up, butter cup. We're here."

Moana was skeptical as measured the mountain with her eyes. "You sure this guy's gonna have your hook?"

Maui looked back at her as he climbed off the boat. "Tamatoa... Oh yeah, he'll have it. He's a scavenger. Collects stuff, things that look cool. And for Tomatoa, trust me, my hook is the coolest he's collected."

"Always so full of yourself," Lahela murmured as she followed him off the boat. "It's probably just a pretty hook to him."

"It's not just a hook," Maui rounded on her and held out his arms, presenting himself. "It's Maui's fishhook."

"Still a hook," the goddess finished as she stepped around him.

Moana looked up, trying to see the top of the cliff. "And he lives up there?"

"Oh, no, no, no... That's just the entrance to a Lalotai."

"Lalotai?" Moana asked, not recognizing the name.

"It's the Realm of Monsters." Lahela clarified.

"We're going to the Realms of Monsters?" Moana voiced.

"We? No," Maui retorted. "Me and Lahela. You are gonna stay here with the other chicken." As he finished, he picked her up and placed her back beside Heihei. With that, he was off, climbing up the side of the cliff with Lahela beside him.

"That's what I'm talking about, give me some ..."

Lahela looked over to see Maui hoping to get a fist bump from his tattoo, though the mini-Maui didn't seem to find his joke funny. "Come on, that was a good one, how you'd not get it?" He looked towards Lahela to confirm it though she shook her head instead and worked on climbing ahead of him. He was on his own if he was going to carry on about pathetic jokes like that.

"So... Daughter of the chief."

Confused by Maui's words, Lahela paused and looked down. Moana had caught up to them.

"I thought you stayed in the village. You know, kissing babies and things." After the look Moana gave him, he was quick to continue. "Hey, I'm just trying to understand why your people decided to send... How do I phrase this?" He paused as he looked at her. "You."

"My people," she paused periodically as she worked on climbing. "Didn't send me. The ocean did."

Maui nodded. "The ocean... makes sense, you're what? Eight. Can't sail. Obvious choice."

"It chose me for a reason," she responded, though it sounded like she was also trying to convince herself.

"If the ocean so smart, why didn't it just take the heart back to Te Fiti itself?" The demigod countered. "Or bring me my hook? The ocean is straight up crazy. But I'm sure it's not wrong about you. You're the chosen one. The ocean chose you for a reason."

"Probably cause she was willing to do more than you," Lahela jumped in as she looked at Maui.

"You weren't jumping to help either," Moana added much to Lahela's dismay.

Maui shot the goddess a smug look. "Oh, is that so?"

Thankfully for the goddess, by that point they had reached the top. The trio pulled themselves over before they walked into the center of the summit.

Moana walked ahead as she looked around, expecting to see just about anything besides what was in front of her, which was nothing. "So, not seeing entrance."

"Yes, because it only appears after a human sacrifice." Maui declared. Moana stared in shock as she waited for another response. When he realized she wasn't saying anything or laughing, he help up his hands in surrender with a laugh. "Kidding... So serious."

Maui stepped forward then as he began saying a chant as he moved with it. Lahela kept an eye on the ground as she took a step back, pulling Moana with her. It was then that the ground began to shake as an opening appeared beneath them. Neither of them needed to fall down their unexpectedly.

"Don't worry," Maui said as he stepped up to the edge. "It's a lot farther down than it looks." And with that, he jumped.

From below, they heard the demigods voice carry up to them. "I am still falling!"

Lahela glanced into the hole then looked at Moana. "It's up to you, but you would be better off staying up here." She gave her one last look before jumping down as well. Regardless what Moana did, it was her decision.

With everything flying past quickly, Lahela kept an eye beneath her as she prepared to catch herself for the landing. All her preparation turned into a scream when she realized catching herself wouldn't work so well unless Maui got out of her way very quickly.

Maui looked up at the sound just in time for the goddess to collide with him, causing them both to go tumbling to the ground.

"Ow, that hurt." Lahela winced as she rubbed her shoulder and sat up. "Think maybe you should have moved out of the way after you got down here?"

Maui groaned as he pushed himself up. "No, you just need to be less clumsy."

"I'm not clumsy! If you weren't in the way I would have landed just fine!" Lahela argued.

Maui raised an eyebrow before he held out his hand to help her up. Once she grabbed his hand, he pulled her up with more force than necessary and laughed as she stumbled. "Still clumsy."

Lahela screamed as she stomped away in frustration, after a few steps however, she stopped and turned around. "And just so you know, I was right!"

"Right about what?" He shot back before mini-Maui in tattoo form answered for her. "Dumb-dumb, she's not even here. No mortal's gonna jump into the realm of mon..." He paused as he saw said mortal falling past them and fell into another part of the area, disappearing beyond one of the hills.

"Well... She's dead." Maui shrugged before he went to watch up to Lahela.

"She's not dead," she said as she exhaled. "And as I said, I was right. She did come." To make her point, she poked him in the chest before turning around. She was sure she should probably go find Moana, but it would also help prove to Maui what she was capable of if she made it back to them without help. "Let's just go. I'm sure Moana will find us."

"Fine, cause I'm getting my hook back."

It took only a few minutes before they found what they were looking for. And it seemed Moana had as well.

"Maui's fishhook," they heard her whisper as she peered around the corner into the cave that Tamatoa was in.

Maui walked up behind her. "Yeah."

It seemed Moana was not prepared for them to find her however as she jumped at Maui's words and swung around, trying to hit him. A look of realization crossed her face once she saw who she had attacked. "Sorry. I thought you're a monster, but... I found your hook and you're right... This Tamatoa really likes treasure."

The trio all looked around the corner as they saw Tamatoa, taking up a huge amount of the cave, as all the items he collected made the decorations on his shell.
Maui turned back to Moana and pointed towards the ground. "Stay.
What? No,"

Lahela stepped forward and held up a hand. "I have to agree with Maui on this. The last thing you need is to end up facing Tamatoa."

"I'm... I'm the one who..." Moana began to argue.
"Listen..." Maui interrupted. "For a thousand years... I've only been thinking of this. Getting my hook and being awesome again. And it's not getting screwed up by a mortal who has no business inside of monster's cave except ..." he paused in thought as he gave Moana a scrutinizing look. "Maybe as bait."

"Hold on! There's no way you're using Moana as bait!" Lahela cut in between Maui and Moana. "You're gonna get her killed. Really, if you wanted someone for bait, I can just go in."

Maui shook his head as he placed his hand on the goddess' shoulder. "She doesn't even need to do anything. Just… sparkle for his collection. You're more useful as backup anyway. Just jump in if you think things are really getting that bad."

With a reluctant look, they eventually gave in to his plan. They just had to hope it really worked.

And that is how Moana ended up in disguise. Lahela tried her best not to laugh. From head to toe, Moana was dressed to shimmer and shine, topped off by a sparkling shell as her crown of glory.

Moana stepped forward, completely void of enthusiasm. This was not what she imagined when told to be bait. "Wow, the shiny glitterin' cave. And just like me, it is covered in sparkly treasure." She paused as she looked back, unamused. "Sparkle ... Sparkle."
"You're not selling it." Maui directed, hoping to get a bit more life from Moana.

"This is stupid." Moana was ready to drop the disguise.
"You go out there, he would kill you." Maui added, willing her forward with his hands. "Just stick to the plan."

"Don't forget to keep him distracted," Lahela added in, feeling Maui was forgetting that little bit.

"Yep, make him talk about himself. He loves bragging about himself," Maui concluded before allowing Moana to finish her task of being bait.

Just as expected, Tamatoa was quick to snatch of the latest sparkle to catch his eye. "What have we here? It's a sparkly, shiny." He squinted as he got a closer look, realizing something was off. "Wait a minute... It's a human. What are you doing down here in the realms of the mons..."

It seemed Moana couldn't figure out how to look at him, constantly switching between his two eyes. The difficulties of not being able to look someone in the eye. "Just pick an eye, babe.
"I can't ... I can't concentrate on what I saying. If you keep ..." And so the trouble continued as Moana struggled with figuring out where to look. "Yes, pick one, pick one."

It seemed Moana was doing a good job as bait, even if she was found out. Maui and Lahela had both snuck into the cave and stashed themselves behind a tall set of stones. The goddess may have been annoyed with Maui earlier, but she had to take things seriously now. Tamatoa wasn't someone to mess around with.

"Stay here incase Moana needs help." Maui led with his eyes towards an edge that ran farther up the wall. "I'm going to get my hook."

Lahela nodded as she followed where he was looking. "Just don't get ahead of yourself. He will spot you up there if you're not careful."

"Thanks for the concern, but don't worry. I'm Maui. It'll be a breeze." He flashed her a smile before he dashed off.

Lahela followed after him with her eyes. "It's that ego that makes me concerned." Once he was yet again out of sight, she turned back to the crustacean at hand. It seemed that Moana was in the middle of building up his ego.

"And we mortals have heard the tales about the crab who became a legend. And I got to know how you became so ... crab...ulous…" Moana trailed off, unsure what to say from there.

"Are you just trying to get me to talk about myself. Because if you are ... I will gladly do so."

As expected from a self-centered crab, he wasted no time before starting to talk. "Well, Tamatoa hasn't always been this glam. I was a drab little crab once. Now I know, I can be happy as a clam because I'm beautiful, baby."

Tamatoa carried on, telling some version of a life history, as Maui made his way around the cave. With each passing word, Lahela worried more and more about Moana. Against a human, his actions seemed quite aggressive. She knew it wouldn't have worked with her as the decoy now considering how he might have reacted to finding an immortal instead, but putting Moana through this wasn't right.

"Did your granny say listen to your heart? Be who you are on the inside. I need three words to tear her argument apart. Your granny lied. I'd rather be shiny like a treasure from a sunken pirate wreck. Scrub the deck and make it look shiny."

Through his distraction, Lahela moved towards the other side of the cave, all while trying to keep an eye on Maui. She needed to stay out of it until he reached his hook at least.

"I will sparkle like a wealthy woman's neck. Just a sec, don't you know?
Fish are dumb, dumb, dumb. They chase anything that glitters
Beginners. Oh, and here they come, come, come. To the brightest thing that glitters.
Mmm, fish dinners. I just love free food. And you look like seafood."

Panic set in as Lahela watched Tamatoa bring Moana towards his mouth, every intention of eating her just as he did the fish just moments before. It no longer mattered if Maui had gotten his hook yet or not.

"Let her go!" The goddess yelled as she revealed herself.

At the same time, Moana yelled. "No!" fighting as she tried to free herself.

"Hey! Crab cakes." The familiar voice drew everyones attention. On the back of Tamatoa's shell stood Maui as he pulled out his hook and grinned. "I'm back. It's Maui time." He paused as he got an idea from Mini-Maui tattoo. "What do you say, little buddy. Giant hawk. Coming up..."

Then, with his hook raised in the air, Maui transformed… Into a fish. He transformed again, over and over, failing to turn himself into a hawk.

Lahela made her way towards Moana and pushed her back as they watched everything unfold. "You need to stay back. Things just got a lot harder."

"Well, well, well..." Tamatoa turned towards Maui with all the smugness in the world. "Little Maui's having trouble with his look. You little semi-demi-mini-god. Ouch! What a terrible performance. Get the hook! You don't swing it like you used to, man." Just as Maui tried to get away, Tamatoa grabbed him with his claw and swung him around, slamming him into the cave wall.

The second things took a turn for the worst, Lahela ran forward. "Maui!" She paused when Maui looked up however, giving her a clear look that told her to stay out of it.

"Yet I have to give you credit for my start. And your tattoos on the outside. For just like you I made myself a work of art. I never hide, I can't. I'm too shiny."

With fists clenched, Lahela took a step back and focused on Tamatoa's shell. He would be in for a shock when she finally jumped in. As the crustacean was focused on Maui but held neither the demigod or Moana in hand, she unleashed a strike of lightning, directed straight towards the back of gold, placed as a giant target she couldn't miss with all that metal.

Annoyed by her attack, Tamatoa quickly turned and sent her skidding across the ground with a swipe of his claw. "Watch me dazzle like a diamond in the rough. Strut my stuff, my stuff is so shiny." His focus shifted to Moana then as he picked her up and threw her into a make-shift cell to keep her out of his way. "Send your armies but they'll never be enough. My shell's too tough, Maui man."

As the fight continued, the tide of battle never changed. It was achingly mismatched. Tamatoa continued his speech and dragged Maui through the dirt with every chance presented.

A feeling of hopelessness settled over Lahela. How would they possibly get out of there? Maui didn't have the strength to fight against him. Her lightning at done nothing and conjuring a storm in such a small area would certain kill Moana, if not all of them. Determined to do something, she brought up a powerful wind, enough to push Maui over just in time for him to avoid getting hit by Tamatoa again. She hoped that would give her enough time as she disappeared in a flash of lightning before landing on his shell.

"You could try but you can't expect a demigod to beat a decapod." Tamatoa ignored her as he went after Maui again and knocked him down before grabbing his hook to reclaim it for his collection. "You will die, now it's time for me to take apart your aching heart."

Lahela frantically looked for something useful on his back. Her time was cut short as he swatted her off his back. As she closed in on the wall, braced herself for the hit and slide to the ground, still standing but severely winded. She watched as Tamatoa placed the hook where she had previously been standing.

It was then that the cave was cut off from the light above. Maui was picked up as Tamatoa spoke, held over the cage that Moana was held in. "Far from the ones who abandoned you. Chasing the love of these humans who made you feel wanted. You try to be tough, but your armor's just not hard enough."
Tamatoa turned in a swift motion and slammed the demigod against the wall. It didn't stop there though as he threw Maui into the air and hit him multiple times before he finally fell onto Tamatoa's shell. "Maui! Now it's time to kick your hiney. Ever seen someone so shiny? Soak it in cause it's the last you'll ever see. C'est la vie, mon ami, I'm so shiny."

Lahela could feel her heart pounding in her chest as adrenaline rushed through her. She had to do it right otherwise she was wasting her energy. As Tamatoa spun to get Maui to fall off, Lahela took the opportunity and quickly placed herself back on Tamatoa's shell. She had barely landed before she fell over. A moment was all it took to realize where she was. Though she was too far to reach Maui, she lucked out in landing so close to his hook.

Maui held all of Tamatoa's attention as he flew off his shell and hit the ground. He didn't stay there long though as Maui was heading straight for Tamatoa's mouth. "Now I'll eat you so prepare your final plea. Just for me. You'll never be quite as shiny. You wish you were nice and shiny."

"Hey!"

Lahela looked down from her spot by the hook to see Moana as she held the heart in her hand.

"I got something shiny for you."

With his eyes on a suddenly greater prize, Tamatoa spits Maui out of his mouth and peers at Moana. "The heart of Te Fiti. You can't run from me." With a new goal, he went to get the heart only for Moana to take off running with it.

Meanwhile, Lahela, who was still on his back, clenched onto the hook at the sudden movement. She just needed the right moment to take off with the hook. They just needed an opening to get out of there.

As Tamatoa ran after Moana, Maui tried to grab his legs in hopes of stopping him but it didn't help much.

"It's only so far you can get on those two little legs." Just as Tamatoa was closing in, Moana tripped and all eyes followed the heart as it slid across the ground and fell into a crevice, disappearing from sight.

That was when Lahela knew they had a chance. With Tamatoa distracted by the heart, she jumped from his back with the hook.

Moana was just a step behind. "We gotta go."

The goddess was quick to agree as she ran over towards Maui. She pulled Maui from the ground and continued to help hold him up when she realized just how much of a beating he had taken.

As Maui leaned on Lahela as they walked, he turned his attention to Moana. "Well, what about the heart?"

The girl smirked as she opened her necklace to reveal the real one was still there. "He can have it. I've got a better one."

Just then, a crashing sound echoed around them. The trio turned to see Tamatoa as he crashed through the wall of the cave. "Come back here!"

With that as a clear sign to get out of there, Lahela, Moana and Maui raced forward. As they reached a water geyser, the stood there just long enough to see Tamatoa coming after them before a jet of water burst from beneath them and pushed them out of Lalotai.


To be continued in the next chapter as everyone has a heart to heart. Leave a review and hopefully the next one will be up in a few days!