Chapter 11: Stars that Guide Us

Moana had never felt this way before. Sure she had been irritated with Maui before, in fact, Moana was always irritated with Maui, but she had never felt so...so angry? It wasn't even anger, it was almost like a seething rage, like the hot stews Sina made on chilly nights. Dark tan flushing an angry red, Moana clutched her fists,

"You have a wife!?"

It was louder then Moana had meant it to be, and her voice seemed to shake the walls of the ocean palace,

"Woah, woah Curly don't get your oar in a knot," Maui insisted, "it was a long time ago and it wasn't even that great of a relationship,"

"How can being married to a goddess be a bad relationship?" Moana's angry voice cracked suddenly, as tears filled her eyes, but the young wayfinder rapidly held them back. Folding her arms tightly against her breasts, Moana began to stride as fast as possible down the hall. She didn't know why she was crying over Maui. He always got into trouble, was a total player, and was technically a no good, dirty thief. Yet Moana didn't want Maui to see her cry in front of him, she was better then that.

"Moana! Wait up, what's wrong?"

Maui took hold of Moana's collar with a hand and halted her walking, lifting the girl up and turning her around to face him. Looking down at the ground, Moana let the tears soak up as her angry face returned, "are...are you pouting?"

"No!" Moana lifted her head and threw her hair over one shoulder, though her expression remained the same, "pouting is childish,"

"You totally are pouting,"

"No I'm not, Maui! This is my normal face,"

"Wait, are you-?"

Maui seemed to catch on to Moana's problem as she flushed an even deeper crimson red and puffed out her chest,

"Don't even think about saying it-"

"Jealous?"

Moana threw up her arms and looked to the oceaniac ceiling,

"Unbelievable!"

"You're jealous that I'm married to a goddess! Wow, that's..." Maui flipped his hook around so it rested over his shoulders, "that's something,"

"I'm not jealous," Moana insisted again, turning to continue walking, only at a much slower pace, "I just...don't like that you've never told me,"

"I'm sure that's the reason, Curly,"

Maui, for once in his life, let the subject drop as the pair of demigods walked in silence. After a while, the place where they had fallen in came into view, "looks like this is it," Maui stated, taking his hook up for a transformation, "ready?"

"As I'll ever be I guess," Moana mumbled, bracing herself as there was a 'CHEEEHOOO' from Maui as giant hawk materialized before her and flew into the air. Yelping slightly as talons grasped her shoulders, Moana clutched tightly onto Maui's talons as they soared up into the watery ceiling. Immediately, Maui transformed into a dolphin, and Moana clutched onto his fin as the two pounded towards the surface of the earth again. Just as Moana thought she would run out of air, her head broke the surface, and she gasped heavily,

"Well that was fun," Maui said, already wringing out his wet curls and pulling them into a bun, "wouldn't you say, Curly?"

"Not my definition of fun," Moana hissed slightly, crawling up onto the grass and coughing up some water, "I'm not a shapeshifter like you, ok?"

"Have you ever tried?"

Maui's cocky tone irritated Moana, but his question caught her attention,

"No I have not. And no I'm not going to try just to end up humiliating myself,"

Wringing out her own hair, Maui chuckled and shrugged his big shoulders,

"Whatever you say, Wayfinder. Come on, we should probably get started. It's a long way to the West Horizon,"

"Right. You're right,"

Moana sighed heavily and followed Maui down the hill, keeping close to him as the eyes of the Moai seemed to glare down upon them. Passing by Rapa Nui, and heading straight for the rocky shore, Moana held out a hand as her Oar appeared in her hand. Using it to navigate the cliffs, Moana could see the small shape of a hidden canoe on the obsidian shore. Why Maui chose to sail to Rapa Nui instead of flying all the way was beyond her. Maybe his stamina wasn't very good? Moana shook her head and shrugged off the thoughts, dropping down into the pebbly sand as Maui hauled the boat out from under a rock ledge,

"Ta Da! It's big enough for the both of us...ok well, for me. But you can definitely fit on it,"

Moana scoffed, chuckled and nodded, helping Maui push the large canoe into the water. Controlling the currents with a hand, the sail billowed with invisible wind as the pair cast out onto the open ocean again. Working the ropes out of pure habit, Moana sat on the stern as Maui faced her, leaning against the mast. There was a tenseness between them as the sun dipped below the horizon. Maui pointed there and cleared his throat,

"Were heading in that direction, towards the sunset. It should take us directly to the entrance of the underworld,"

"Do you really think that's where the comet is?" Moana asked, hooking some dark curls behind one ear, "we don't have time to be wrong,"

"Listen princess, I know you're worried about this...I dunno, quest? But I know Rohe, and she loves anything shiny, kinda like Tāmatoa. That, and she's not the biggest fan of our neighborhood Comet God,"

"Does everyone have something against Auahitūroa?"

"The guy isn't exactly popular up in the clouds," Maui mumbled, "he's got some serious ego issues,"

"Humph, sounds like someone I know,"

Moana smirked as Maui glowered at her, only to relax a bit and look towards the sky. It was still empty, except for a constellation of stars hanging above where the sun had just set, "looks like Star Boy is helping a out tonight,"

"Huh?"

Moana looked to the sky too, seeing the outline of Maui's fishhook hanging in the sky. Adjusting her route to follow it's bottom, Mini Mo tapped on her shoulder to get her attention. Looking down, a new marking had appeared on her skin. It was Maui's fish hook, connected with lines drawn between a sky of stars,

"You're getting those pretty quick, Curly," Maui commented, dipping his feet into the water, as it flowered to life with bioluminescent algae, "you're making out to be a pretty impressive young Demigoddess,"

"Wow," Moana blinked and smiled, looking down at her bare knees as she fingered her oar, "thanks, Maui..."

Cocking her head to one side and playing in the glowing water, Moana sighed heavily and glanced at her favorite demigod from under her hair, "so, what's the deal with you and Rohe? Like, how'd you get together?"

"Well, Rohe used to be very beautiful, and was the little sister of the sun. She felt overshadowed, you know, like little siblings do, and we started going out,"

"As a sign of rebellion?" Moana questioned, tapping her oar lightly as she listened intently to the story. Maui nodded and smirked,

"Yeah. She loved getting under her sisters skin. Anyway, I was still a young Demigod then, So I was happy to oblige. You might not believe this, but I've actually matured over several centuries,"

Moana scoffed slightly and dipped her feet into the water too,

"No kidding?"

"It's true," Maui insisted, lifting up a finger, "so Rohe and I got married. But this one day, she was irritated or something and...well, called my face ugly. Now, Rohe was pretty, and I mean totally stunning,"

Moana kicked her feet as she clutched her fists slightly, biting down on her lip to keep from growing red in the darkness,

"Being me, I decided I wanted to get back at her, so I suggested we switch faces, so she could have someone more pleasant to be with. Obviously Rohe didn't want to do that, but I decided I wanted revenge. So, using an incantation while she slept, I switched our faces,"

Moana forgot her anger for a minute as she turned to look at Maui,

"Wait, that's not your real face?"

"What? No it is, the incantation wore off after a few centuries. But Rohe was so distressed about losing her beauty that she drowned herself. But since her death was caused by her own vanity, she became cursed; turned to smoke and was given the job of watching over Te Uranga-o-te-rā i, for the rest of eternity,"

"Wow," Moana didn't quite know what to say as she stared at the color filled water, "so, you don't love her anymore?"

"Nah, I don't think I loved her in the first place," Maui admitted, "it was just a fling. But, understandably, Rohe hates me now, and will either try to kill me once we get to the underworld, or will just kick me out,"

"Yep,"

Moana looked to the sky and felt a small smile crawl up onto her cheeks. Maui didn't really love her, does that mean there was still a place in his heart for love? Moana shook her head and knitted her brows. No, she was far too young for someone like Maui. He had been around for ages...that, and she didn't live him. Right? Moana didn't even know what love was,

"You ok there, Curly?"

"What?" Moana glanced up mindlessly, feeling a drop of rain plop down on the end of her nose,

"You looked...I dunno, gone for a minute there?"

"Oh, no I'm ok. Just thinking about what'll happen when we get Te Uranga-o-te-rā i,"

"Well, I'll take over steering for a while, huh? Looks like you need some sleep,"

"But I'm not...tired," Moana's phrase was broken by a yawn as Maui chuckled and smirked, "sure you're not, Princess. Get some sleep, we'll be at Te Uranga-o-te-rā i in no time,"

Hesitating, Moana nodded and laid down against the mast, using the sail to keep her protected from the rain as she drifted off into sleep.