Chapter 11
The sunlight is what woke Tamatoa the next morning. A streak of it settled across his eyes, not-so-gently asking him to rise. Tamatoa yawned and let his body wake, waiting for the fog to clear from his brain. It occurred to him that he had, once again slept soundly that night; not a single nightmare to be had. As he came around, he realized he was cuddled up with Hina, her back to him and one of his arms draped over her. Though he hadn't actually moved yet, Tamatoa froze, his eyes growing round. A fire struck in his gut, burning high and bright. Memories of the previous night rose to the surface, and the heat spread throughout his body. He wondered when exactly they'd fallen asleep; he'd lost track of the time.
Carefully, so he didn't disturb Hina, Tamatoa eased himself off of the sleeping mat. He kicked a bit of sand over the dying fire, picked up a banana from their food basket, and decided to take a walk down the beach. He had a lot to think about.
The sudden absence of warmth is what roused Hina. She slowly inhaled and stretched, and realized that she was alone on the sleeping mat. Hina looked back; Tamatoa was gone. Worry prickled at her spine. Why would he leave so early? Was he angry with her? He hadn't indicated anything but contentment when they finally fell asleep the night before. Maybe he was afraid? Hina eventually stopped trying to guess what he was thinking and find out for herself. She got up from the sleeping mat and followed his unique footprints in the sand along the southern beach.
As she went and the sun continued to rise, a shadow nudged itself onto her shoulders. They'd made it to the island of Te Pele. There was still something to be done, a curse to be broken. Hina wasn't sure if she had the drive to do it anymore, after all that had happened. She may have dug herself too deep a hole.
Tamatoa paced in a circle, munching on his banana. The sunlight grew brighter with every lap, turning the sea a warm purple-gold, and the air was shifting from cool to warm. His thoughts and emotions rattled around like pebbles inside him, all confused and mixed up and extreme. He wasn't even feeling the soreness in his muscles from all that exertion the previous day. Something had happened between him and Hina during their time together, something he just couldn't explain. He'd gone from hating her guts with every fiber of his being to...something else entirely. He couldn't even come up with a word for it. It wasn't just fondness, it wasn't just friendship, and it wasn't just caring. It was something deeper, stronger. And, most confusing of all, he couldn't shake the feeling he'd had this feeling all along. It had just been buried under something, or else forgotten and then remembered.
Tamatoa reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose again. Nothing made sense anymore; he'd always been so confident about who he was and what he wanted, but now he had no idea. He wasn't even sure what he was doing on this island; he'd kind of forgotten their mission until just now. Sure, he had to get his original body back...but why? After being with Hina...everything felt so disconnected. His old life was so far away, like a distant memory. He couldn't imagine walking with more than two legs now, or be giant, or have a hard shell. He wasn't even sure if this was a bad thing or not.
What has she done to me? Tamatoa asked himself. Or what have I done to me? It was like he'd split into two beings, wrestling each other for control of one another. What was he going to do?
"Tamatoa?" Tamatoa whirled around, panicked as he'd forgotten he wasn't alone. Hina was approaching him, her hands folded down in front of her. She looked almost...shy. Tamatoa forgot his confused musings. In their place, a warm glow spread through his chest. Hina was certainly becoming a distraction. Was that a bad thing? He didn't care.
Tamatoa smiled at Hina as she came near.
"Good morning, darling," he said fondly. He held out an arm, and, after a moment of hesitation, she moved into his embrace, snuggling into his side.
"I was just wondering where you'd gone," said Hina. Tamatoa rubbed his hand up and down her arm, allowing his gaze to wander into the distance. Despite the calm that settled in at Hina's appearance, some of his confusion returned.
"Sorry about that," he said, "I just needed to...ah...stretch my legs." Hina made a noise he couldn't quite give a tone to. They stood in silence for a few moments, letting the morning sun and the sound of waves wash over them. Hina shifted and took his other hand.
"Listen, I hope nothing I did last night...offended you," she said quietly. Surprised, Tamatoa looked down at her. Her expression was uncertain, almost afraid.
"Why would you think that?" he asked. Hina gave a half-shrug.
"I don't know, just doubting myself I guess." Tamatoa sighed and gave her a gentle squeeze.
"I wasn't offended by anything you did," he said lightly. "And I don't want you to be sorry. I'm not." Hina looked up at him.
"You're not?" Tamatoa shook his head, his gaze softening. He gently took her chin between his fingers and kissed her. A voice at the back of his mind commented on how quickly he'd picked this behavior up. He told the voice to shut up. When they parted, Hina's eyes were half-lidded, her expression slightly dazed. Tamatoa allowed himself a small grin; he was glad his charms extended into the physical realm as well as the verbal. Hina cleared her throat, then pulled away slightly. Tamatoa loosened his hold a bit, but didn't remove his arm from around her completely. He didn't quite want to let her go yet. She still kept her hands on his waist, but loosely. Hina looked down, her brow furrowed slightly. Tamatoa looked closely; her eyes were watering.
"Hina?" She bit her lip and stayed silent for a few moments.
"Well, I guess we should head up towards the volcano," she said, her voice tight. Tamatoa's heart sank; once again he'd nearly forgotten the whole reason they'd come to this accursed island. He hesitated, acid burning in his throat. Half of him wanted to pull her back to him and insist they leave immediately. The other half yelled and berated him for even thinking of such a thing.
Gods, what is happening to me? But Tamatoa remembered it wasn't just him who was cursed. It was Hina Te Tunaroa had hurt first after all. She deserved to have her powers back; if only so she could better defend herself from the eel god. Plus, she probably still felt guilty for dragging him into this mess. He didn't want her to feel guilty; not anymore.
"Yeah, right," he finally said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Hina nodded, still not looking at him. She turned and broke away from him. Their hands stayed clasped for a brief moment; Hina's trembled beneath Tamatoa's fingers. Then she let go, walking briskly towards the forest; she didn't look back.
Tamatoa's hand stayed where it was, reaching out towards the retreating demigod. A hole opened up in his heart, and wind blew through it.
Hina glanced back to make sure she was being followed. Tamatoa made his way slowly through the trees, following in her footsteps. His limp seemed more pronounced than before; he dragged both foot and peg like he was walking through sand. Hina's throat clenched and she turned away, setting her sights on the volcano. She hated herself for what she'd done to him. Not only had she gotten him cursed—again—but then she'd strung him along and invested emotion into the whole thing. After last night, it seemed so cruel to keep going with their mission. It wasn't as if she had done it shallowly, to use him for her own needs. Her feelings for him were much greater than she had understood. She wanted so much to just give in, forget about restoring her necklace and keep him with her. She could bear Te Tunaroa's wrath if it meant being with Tamatoa. It wasn't as if he really suffered because of the curse. All that was really missing were his memories...Hina cursed under her breath. No, it wasn't fair to Tamatoa. She had to stop being selfish; she'd made a promise to turn him back to his previous form. That was what he thought was normal. If she left him as is, he might resent her. She certainly resented herself.
Hina set her sights at the mountain. She had to break the curse. If she truly cared for Tamatoa...no, she didn't just care for him. She loved him, with all her heart. She had loved him before he was cursed the first time, and she loved him now. Perhaps that love had never gone away; she'd simply closed her heart to it after he had become a monster. Maui had given up on him right away; Hina had taken longer to do so. But she'd done it; she'd turned her back on the best friend she'd wanted more with. Now it was too late to hope things could go back to the way things were. Unless she could find a way to break Tamatoa's first curse, there was no going back. She had to keep her promise to him, the one she'd made to him as he was now; it was the right thing to do. It was the only thing to do.
They reached the base of the volcano before the sun had reached its high arc. The tree line broke and the grass gave way to lava rock. Hina craned her neck up to see the summit, dread pooling in her gut. In addition to everything else, there was a very good chance this plan wouldn't work. Te Pele was still a volatile and unpredictable deity. Even if she did hate Te Tunaroa, she had no real reason to help them. But they had to try; both of their fates depended on it. Tamatoa came up beside Hina.
"So, what's the plan?" he asked. Hina couldn't look at him; she heard the flat resignation in his voice. He'd already gone back to putting on a brave face. Hina took a moment to steady her trembling heart.
"We have to summon Te Pele," she said. "It's simple enough; Pele never hesitates to appear before mortals. You should step back, though; if she gets violent, I don't want you to get hurt." Tamatoa turned to look at her, but she didn't meet his eyes. She had to be strong; keep the path clear. Tamatoa sighed and went to stand within the tree line. Satisfied that he was far enough away, but still within earshot and line of sight, Hina kneeled at the foot of the mountain. She took off her head band and laid it in front of her, and kept her head bowed.
"Te Pele, mistress of volcanoes, lady of lava, chief of calderas, I beg of you; appear to me." For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, a thunderous rumbling rose from deep underground to the summit of the mountain. A ripple of laughter echoed through the air, seemingly from everywhere at once. Hina looked up, and the volcano erupted. Or, rather, a giant woman made entirely out of magma erupted out of the top. Te Pele whipped her long, stone-and-magma hair out of her face and stretched, yawning. She rotated her head around, then crossed her arms and looked down at the mortals, her amber eyes glowing.
"Well, well, well," she said, a knowing smile carving into her molten face, "what have we here?" Her voice reverberated like an earthquake, but clear and rich in Hina's ears. "The demigoddess of the moon summons me. What an interesting thing." Hina bowed, her hand over her heart.
"My lady Te Pele," Hina greeted. Pele rolled her eyes.
"None of that 'my lady' stuff; I'm not in the mood to be fawned over this time." Hina swallowed.
"Sorry." Pele shrugged.
"Whatever. So, what brings you to my island? Must have been pretty important for you to go to the trouble of getting here." Hina stood up, putting her headband back on.
"I've come to ask for your help," she said. Pele tilted her head, then disappeared back into her mountain. Before Hina could gasp, the goddess reappeared in a blast of earth and fire, this time right in front of her. Hina jumped back, gripping her braid to keep it from burning. Pele assumed a form the size of a normal human woman, though she still had a body of magma and hair of rock and lava. She gave Hina a sly grin.
"A demigod asking for help?" she said, her tone derisive. "That's a new one. Has it anything to do with why you're not wearing your necklace?" Hina had no trouble believing the goddess could spot her lack of artifact right away, but it was still embarrassing to be reminded how obvious it was. It was like being seen without clothes. She nodded.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. Te Tunaroa stole my necklace and put a curse on it. I managed to get it back, but I can't put it on for fear of being cursed." She took out the package tucked into her sash and held it out for the goddess to see. Pele made a waving motion, and Hina unwrapped the cloth. After a moment of silence, Pele snatched Hina's necklace out of her hands. The goddess held the necklace up high between two fingers, her eyes narrowed.
"Tunaroa did this, eh?" she asked.
"Yes." Pele clucked her tongue against her teeth, shaking her head.
"Nasty old eel," she muttered. "Such a vindictive fish; spurned him one too many times did you?" Hina didn't answer. Pele sniffed, and then dropped the necklace. Hina quickly stooped to pick it up, wrapping it back up in the cloth. "Well, that's quite a nasty curse you've got there. Nothing more horrible for an immortal than the blight of mortality." Pele put her hands on her hips, cocking her head and frowning. "Wait, how did you find out about the curse?" She looked Hina up and down. "You don't have your moon powers, but you certainly aren't mortal yet. How could you know about the curse without touching it?"
Before Hina could answer Pele's question, she was cut off by a third voice.
"That's why I'm here, Your Flame-ness." Hina whipped around to see Tamatoa stride out from under the tree line. He gave a flourishing bow to Pele, putting on a charming grin and raising his eyebrows. "You're looking at the poor sap who got to test out that little curse. I'll bet not even you can guess who I am." Hina quickly looked back at Pele, nerves bleeding into her gut. She couldn't be sure Tamatoa's forward attitude would anger the volcano goddess. In fact, Hina couldn't be sure what she would say. Pele stared at Tamatoa for a while, tapping a finger to her chin. Finally, her eyes widened, and she let out an alarming scream of laughter. She pointed excitedly at Tamatoa, positively hysterical.
"Great geysers in a goddess's eye!" she exclaimed. "When I woke up this morning, I would have never guessed to be given such a laugh." She doubled up and chortled uncontrollably. Hina swallowed a knot in her throat; she wasn't sure if she liked this reaction from the goddess. She looked back at Tamatoa for a moment; he didn't look amused in the least.
"Well, I didn't think it was that funny," he growled. Pele stopped laughing, and then shot back down into the ground. Before either of them could wonder where she had gone, she popped up once again, this time in front of Tamatoa. Hina had to credit him; he only jumped a little at the appearance of the goddess. Pele practically shoved her face in Tamatoa's, so much so he nearly had to bend backwards to keep his face from being singed.
"Oh really? Then you have no sense of irony, my dear Tamatoa," said Pele. Tamatoa balked for a moment, then regained his composure.
"I guess I should have known a goddess would be able to see though a curse," he said, giving his hair a toss. Perhaps he was more afraid than he let on; he always was good at putting on a brave face. Pele grinned.
"I can see who you are, alright," she said slyly. "The funny part is that you don't know who you are."
Hina's stomach fell out of her body, leaving a gaping hole. Pele could see who Tamatoa really was, that that was his real body he was in. She moved to say something, but the goddess shot her a look. Her amber eyes bored into Hina's very soul, threatening to set it ablaze. The message was clear, don't spoil a goddess's fun. Hina slowly closed her mouth, her heart pounding with dread. Pele turned back to Tamatoa, her grin lifting back into place. He eyed her with suspicion, taking a step back.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. Pele laughed again and leaned in, her eyes suddenly wild.
"Honestly, I don't know what's funnier. The fact that you still don't have any memory about who you are, or..." She glanced over at Hina. "The fact that she didn't tell you who you are!" Hina's blood ran cold. She tried to say something, but her cry died in her throat. Tamatoa's frown deepened, and he glanced from Pele to Hina, and back.
"What...What are you talking about?" he asked. Once again, Hina tried to say something, but Pele held out a hand for silence.
"Now, now, Hina," she chided, "you didn't want to say anything before; don't try to save your skin now." She raised a fiery eyebrow. "You want my help, right? My payment is for you to not steal my thunder here." Hina's knees felt weak; she was at a complete loss for what to do. Pele turned back to Tamatoa.
"My dear, I'm afraid your demigod friend her hasn't been exactly forward with you," she said. She gave him a sideways look.
"I'm guessing you were the one to touch Hina's necklace first, right?" Tamatoa slowly nodded. Pele laughed. "Oh Hina, you sneaky little girl. Bet this was a rather nasty surprise for you, eh?" Hina said nothing. "To have your former best friend returned to you, only to realize it was only his body that came back and not his mind." Tamatoa's lip curled in a snarl.
"What are you on about?" he demanded. Hina severely hoped his tone wouldn't get him vaporized; lucky for them though, Pele was having too much fun to care. She laughed again.
"My dear, you know the purpose of Tunaroa's curse, right?" Tamatoa looked like he wanted to answer, but didn't. "It's to turn you mortal, not simply human. Whatever immortal touches it is turned into their mortal form. It doesn't effect me though, because the curse was created by a god. Therefore, it cannot effect a god." Tamatoa shook his head, confusion replacing his confusion.
"But then why would I be given a body like this? If it was going to turn me mortal, it would just turn me into a normal crab, right?" Pele laughed hard and loud.
"Oh, I'm sure it would have happened that way if you were simply an immoral monster crab," she giggled. "The only problem is, you're not just some immortal monster, my dear. You're much more than that." She moved in close and once again leaned in, making him recoil. "My sweet, simple Tamatoa, you are a demigod. A real, true demigod."
It took a long time for Tamatoa to process what he had just heard. It was so absurd that his brain didn't want to accept it. In fact, it was so ridiculous that he had a much easier time finding humor in it. Tamatoa laughed, in a way that almost felt forced.
"Sorry, Madam Magma, but I think you've spent a little too much time in the ground," he chuckled. He grinned and turned to Hina. "This lady, am I right?" But then he actually saw Hina's face. She was looking down, her mouth twisted, her eyes narrowed in what looked like shame. Or was it pain? It was familiar...it was the expression she'd worn on the beach, when she pulled away from him. Tamatoa's chest grew hollow. "Hina?" He took a step towards her, but Pele held out an arm to block his way, grinning like a fool. Tamatoa looked around her at Hina. "Hey, Hina, she's joking, right? Or at least lying...right?" Pele laughed again.
"Oh, sweetie, I'm afraid I can't lie," she said. Tamatoa rapt his gaze onto her, his heart starting to race.
"What do you mean, you can't lie?" he asked. Pele grinned. She looked manic.
"Just that. I'm a goddess; as such, I cannot lie. No god can lie, especially to mortals. It's our one weakness." She winked at him. "A demigoddess, however, is fully able to lie. Isn't that right, Hina?" Tamatoa looked back at Hina, but she wouldn't meet his eye.
"Hina..." This didn't make any sense. Why would this explosive goddess tell him such a thing? Why wasn't Hina saying anything? He glared at Pele, despite how unsettling it was to be eye-to-eye with such a powerful being. "Explain yourself, Your Flame-ness." Pele snickered.
"Oh gladly." She held up a finger. "You see honey, your father was a mortal, but your mother was a goddess. When you were given immortality and your divine artifact, you went off to see the world. While out and about, you made some friends. One of them is standing in front of you." Tamatoa's eyes widened, and looked at Hina. She still wouldn't meet his gaze.
"Hina and I...were friends?" Pele nodded.
"The best, as were you and her brother Maui. You three were quite the trio back then, doing deeds, slaying beasts, normal demigod stuff, and thick as thieves." Tamatoa shook his head; he couldn't believe it, any of it. Him and Maui were friends? That was impossible...And he realized how often he'd thought that in the last few days. He closed his eyes for a moment, swallowing hard.
"What...happened?" he asked.
"Something rather tragic, actually. The three of you went a little too far one day, and unfortunately you angered the wrong god." She cocked her head, her expression haughty. "Te Uira, the god of lightening." Tamatoa felt a pierce in his skull.
Lightening... "You decided to take the wrap for what the three of you did, and the Uira cursed you." She crossed her arms and gave him a sideways grin. "For your selfless act in defending your friends, Uira turned you into the monstrosity you think yourself to be normally, and banished you to Lalotai." She chuckled. "But that wasn't enough for him. He also took away your artifacts and threw them away, and he took away all your memories. Your life, your friends, your family, everything; all that he left you was your name. Oh, and that sense that you lost something." Her grin turned almost devious. "You at least know about that, right? Always looking for something, but never knowing what it is you lost." Tamatoa trembled, a cold dread creeping under his skin. He didn't just remember that feeling Pele was talking about; he knew it perfectly.
Don't drop it...Don't drop it... Things that once seemed uncertain fell into place. It was why he coveted treasure, shiny things. Why he could never drop anything without going insane over it. He had to pick up what he dropped, no matter what it was. Tamatoa swayed, and he widened his stance to steady himself. His vision blurred a bit; he put a hand to his head, his fingers twitching. This couldn't be happening; this couldn't be real.
"...Prove it." The words came out so small and quiet Tamatoa wasn't even sure if he'd said them. Pele held a hand to her ear.
"Pardon?" she said.
"I said prove it," he said. He finally found his voice. The fog cleared, and he curled his lip in a snarl. "You say a goddess can't lie, but this is all too fantastic. Prove what you're saying is true!" Pele pouted thoughtfully, her eyes to the sky. Tamatoa waited; he found he couldn't tear his gaze away from the goddess. His breath stayed held. Finally, Pele snapped her fingers, an inspired smile growing on her face.
"Alright, I have just the thing." She held out her arm. The magma making up her limb shimmered and boiled, then began to expand into an oval. It grew to her height, then smoothed over several times. Eventually, the oval was reflective enough that Tamatoa found himself looking at his own reflection. Pele tapped the side of her head with a finger, and blinked a couple of times. Then, she walked around until she was standing behind Tamatoa. As she did it, the image in the mirror rotated around, showing him from the side, and then finally from the back. In the next instant, Tamatoa was looking at the back of his head.
"What the-?"
"This mirror is very special," said Pele. "It shows whatever my eyes are seeing. What I'm looking at right now is the one thing that can prove you are who I say you are." Tamatoa looked at the reflection for a few moments, not seeing anything he wouldn't expect. Perhaps that was why it took him so long to realize something was off. Tamatoa gasped. He heard Hina make a noise he couldn't identify, but he didn't pay much mind to it. In the mirror, he saw the reflection of his back for the first time. He'd never thought to wonder what he looked like from behind since turning into a human; he could already tell he didn't have a shell anymore. But, his back certainly wasn't bare. On his skin, a tattoo was etched, the largest single tattoo he'd ever seen on a human. It stretched from his shoulder blades to the base of his spine just above the waist. It was solid, too; it must have hurt to have that done. The image depicted what was unmistakably a coconut crab. Its body was colored black and red, and in the middle of its shell was a golden swirl. It was the same swirl that was naturally carved into his shell, unseen when no treasure was piled on top of it.
"There, you see?" Tamatoa heard Pele's voice in his ear. Her breath was boiling hot on his skin. "There is only one person who is known to have this tattoo; when you became famous as a demigod, so did your tattoo. I'm sure that was how Hina realized you had been turned back into a demigod." Pele chuckled. "Since you were already cursed when you touched the necklace, you were merely turned back into your normal form. You're not quite mortal, but you're not quite back to your old self either. Especially since you still don't have your artifacts." She sighed, and suddenly the mirror whipped away, turning back into her arm. Tamatoa continued to stare at the spot where it been. "It's kind of sad when you think about it; to be back in your own body and not even know it. I can only imagine how it must be for poor Hina." Tamatoa started, and slowly moved his gaze over to Hina. The demigoddess was trembling and biting her bottom lip. He couldn't tell if she was sad or ashamed; either way, she looked close to tears. "To have your best friend back, and yet still be a total stranger. So sad, so sad."
Tamatoa stared at Hina, his breath heavy in his throat. He tried to say something, but his mouth was too dry. He licked his lips and tried to swallow.
"Hina...Is this true?" he asked. Hina inhaled sharply, then finally looked up to meet his gaze. Everything was there, just as he'd feared. Grief, anger, regret, shame, all were spelled out clear as day in Hina's green eyes. She couldn't hide it, so she wasn't trying. Everything Pele said was true, and she had known the entire time. Tamatoa nearly fell forward; he put his peg leg out to steady himself. All feeling seemed to rise up out of his body, leaving nothing but emptiness. Emptiness, and a giant, horrid lie. "I...see," he said, and started to back away. Hina gasped and reached out towards him.
"Tamatoa, I can explain," she said, her voice quivering. Tamatoa shook his head, her voice echoing in his ringing ears.
"No...Don't..." He shook his head again, and again, and again, harder and harder, faster and faster. He was spinning, spinning out of control. "Stay away, stay away from me!" He turned and bolted into the jungle. His limp hampered him from gaining much ground, but he kept going. He had to run, he had to get away.
"Tamatoa, wait!" Hina yelled. She started to follow him, but a burst of fire cut across her path. Hina screamed and back pedaled, glancing around. Pele stood beside her, holding her arm out in the direction the flames had come.
"Now, hold on there, Hina," the goddess crooned. She raised an eyebrow, a slightly affronted look on her glowing face. "I thought you were here to ask for my help. You summoned me, after all, and while I enjoy the entertainment you provided me, I'm certainly not going to just forget why I came here in the first place." She put her hands on her hips. "So then, how about it? What do you want of me?" Hina stared at the goddess in horror. She called revealing the truth to Tamatoa, robbing her of the chance to do so and ruining his whole perception of who he was. She hadn't been planning on telling him, thinking it too late. But, if she had been given the chance, she would have done so much more gently than Pele did. Now the illusion was shattered. What was she going to say to him now?
Hina shook her head, gritting her teeth.
"Why did you do that?" she asked shakily. She balled her fists and stamped her foot. "Why did you tell him the truth?! And so bluntly too! All you did was hurt him!" Pele shrugged,a careless smile on her face.
"It was funny," she said simply. "Don't blame me for your decision to keep him in the dark this whole time. If you didn't want him to get hurt, you should have told him who he was the moment he was cursed." She suddenly shifted from amused to impatient.
"Come on now, out with it," she said. "Why did you summon me?" Hina scowled, but realized she couldn't forget the reason they'd come this far. She at least owed Tamatoa that much.
"Fine," she said tightly. "I summoned you to ask you to break the curse Te Tunaroa put on my necklace." She patted the pouch on her side. "And, since you decided to tell him the truth about who he is, I also ask that you break both curses on him, and return him to his original state as a demigod." Pele sighed, her brow curving in exasperation.
"Of course you would ask that." She held up her hands. "I'd love to help you, sweetheart, I really would, but I'm afraid I can do neither of those things." Hina started, her heart skipping a beat.
"What? Why not?" she shrieked, surprising herself with how shrill her voice came out. Pele put a hand to her ear, pouting again.
"You've gotten yourself into too bad a fix, I'm sad to say. As much as I would love to muck up Tunaroa's plans for you, I can't intervene in this instance."
"Why?" Pele sighed again.
"Another drawback to being a god is that we can't interfere with each other's magic. We can influence mortals, sure, and we can fight each other head on, but we can't directly have any effect on another god's magic. It's too different and too powerful. You're going to have to break this curse yourself, and Tamatoa have to break his too." She snickered. "Unless either Tunaroa or Uira decide to break their curses themselves, but that's probably not likely." Hina's gaze fell to the ground. Grief washed over her like rain, bringing her to her knees. How could she be so foolish? How could she not know gods couldn't influence the magic of other gods? She'd dragged the two of them all this way for nothing. Everything they'd gone through had been for nothing. All of it; the curse, Niue, the wave, the chase, the moon travel, and summoning Te Pele. All of it had been for nothing. Perhaps, even, the night spent together had been for nothing; after what she'd done, she doubted Tamatoa would want to ave anything to do with her.
What have I done? I've hurt the one I love so badly. Even when she tried to stop being selfish, it had been too late. Hina put her face in her hands, trying desperately not to cry. She rocked back and forth, sucking air in and out of her mouth. She had to try to calm herself. There was still work to be done. Now was not the time to give up.
Hina stood and brushed her hands on her skirt, her eyes stinging.
"Thank you for answering my summons, Te Pele," she said softly. "You've honored me with your attentions. I guess I'll be on my way." She turned to leave.
"Hang on," Pele said, and appeared in front of Hina again. "Just because I can't break your curses directly, doesn't mean I can't give you a hint as to how you may do it." Hina balked, surprised.
"What?" Pele gave her a smile, the first genuinely friendly smile she'd shown since appearing. "You asked for my help, didn't you? If I decide I'm going to help a mortal, it will be in any way I can." She held up two fingers. "The thing with curses is, they're really not as hard to break as you may think, especially if one has been cast by a god. Usually there's a lesson to be learned in the curse; just what that lesson is depends on the nature of the curse." She pointed to Hina. "Yours, for example, is made to make you mortal. If you had actually touched the necklace, well, you'd be worse off than you are now. Certainly worse off than Tamatoa.
"So, the question is, what is the lesson to be learned from that?" Pele grimaced and rolled his eyes. "Though, knowing Tunaroa, he wouldn't actually have a lesson in mind when cursing you. Still, it's the best way to approach a curse, regardless of motive behind it." Hina frowned in confusion.
"A lesson? About mortality?" Pele nodded.
"Almost certainly. As for Tamatoa's, well, it was inflicted on him because he was reckless and took the fall for you and Maui. He wasn't being responsible, at least not in Uira's eyes. He lost his artifacts, possibly the worst mistake a demigod can make. He didn't just take the rap for you two either; he bragged abut what he said he'd done. So, Uira threw away his artifacts, took away his powers and his memories, and cursed him to be stuck in his favorite shifted form. If there isn't a lesson in there, I don't know what is." Hina thought on this; she supposed she could see the lesson in that. If anything, should they fail in learning how to use the lesson, there was always the option of finding Tamatoa's artifacts. She'd be willing to do it, no matter how long it took. She'd do anything for Tamatoa.
Hina nodded, and stood up, fixing her determination in place.
"Alright, that helps a lot," she said. "Thank you, Pele. I appreciate it." She still felt bitter about Pele's decision to blow the cover off of Tamatoa's story, but there was nothing to help it. Gods would do whatever their whims demanded; she was lucky Pele hadn't been in a melting mood. The goddess waved the thanks away; she looked very satisfied with herself.
"Oh, think nothing of it," she said airily. "I live to serve mortals on occasion. Thank you for entertaining me for a little while; I get so few visitors nowadays." Te Pele gave a little flourishing wave, then sunk into the ground with a rumble and a burst of flames.
Hina turned her back on the volcano and headed into the jungle, making an effort to not view this day as a total waste.