Chapter 24: Shiny

Following two months of secret lessons with Maui on sailing and pathfinding, Moana was now waiting for him in front of the Shiny Deals loan company building that was near the touristy shops and restaurants along the piers facing the ocean. Yet Maui seemed to be taking his sweet time which made Moana anxious, and the ocean seemed to feel the same way as the waves lapped pier swaying back-and-forth constantly.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to ditch me at the last minute, and this was all just a big scam so he could sail away from here," Moana speculated out loud, causing her to instinctively grip her necklace which held the Heart of Te Fiti. "But if that's the case, I might have to—

"Can I help you?"

Moana flinched. Behind her stood a large and towering man with a gold-colored coat draped over a purple suit.

"Oh, I didn't see you there," Moana apologized.

The large man smiled down at her with teeth that had gold grills in them and offered a hand with gold rings on each finger. "If you're here to get a loan, little lady, then step right in. Otherwise, I would suggest you take your business elsewhere. Loitering is a crime, you know."

"Actually, I was waiting for a friend," Moana explained. "His name is Maui and he said he'd meet me here."

"Hmm…" the large man murmured as he scratched the underside of his chin for a moment. Then he said, "I think someone with that name might be in my office right now."

"Really?" Moana's eyes widened.

"Yes," the large man nodded. "And I never lie. I'm Tamatoa Pihi, the owner of this place."

"Moana Motunui," Moana answered politely.

While Tamatoa held the front door open with one hand, Moana stepped in. What she saw was a fairly ordinary-looking office, except that it was dimly lit with a tank of tropical fish on one side and multiple things hung on the walls including an unusually large hook.

"See anything that interests you?" Tamatoa asked.

"Not really," Moana fibbed. "So where's Maui?"

"Right in here," replied Tamatoa as he pointed to a closed door.

So Moana approached the door and opened it. To her surprise, there was nothing but darkness. But suddenly she was pushed from behind and fell a long way down. When she came to, Moana was lying in a giant cave that was full of golden items along with a familiar face.

"Maui," Moana said, recognizing the muscular tattooed man that was sitting nearby with his arms folded wearing a plain dress-shirt and nice-looking jeans. "Where are we?"

"Inside Tamatoa's hidden lair," Maui responded as he got up from the floor of the cave. "It's where he keeps all the things he's collected over the years, and sleeps after a full day's work."

"How do you know that?" Moana asked as she got up as well.

"Because a week ago, I came to Shiny Deals with the intention of getting my hook back. But as you can see, he caught me in the act."

"Why did you try to get your hook back alone? I thought I was going to help you."

"Originally, yes, but I changed my mind. Though I should've figured you would be stupid enough to still keep to your promise."

"Excuse me?" Moana snapped as she stormed over to Maui. "I'm trying to save my island from a catastrophe, and I need your help. So of course I was going to keep my promise for the sake of returning Te Fiti's—

Maui abruptly shushed Moana as the sound of skittering claw-like feet echoed through the cave. From a hidden entrance emerged a coconut crab that was almost as tall as the cave itself which was purple while its back was covered in gold. Though as the light coming from a hole up above dimmed down, the crab was revealed to be bioluminescent with blue and pink lights along its back and chin.

"Pardon the intrusion," the crab said in Tamatoa's voice. "Though I thought I heard someone mention the name 'Te Fiti.' Care to enlighten me, Moana?"

This made Moana's mouth gape. "So what Maui said is true. You really are a Lalotai demon."

"Guilty as charged," the crab smirked showing its gold-grilled teeth. "I am the great Tamatoa, and I came to this city to spread evil from beyond the Lalotai realm!"

"How were you able to look human, though?" Moana inquired. "I'm not sure if Lalotai demons can shape-shift."

"I had a little help from a Sea Witch named Ursula," Tamatoa answered. "She gave me a potion that would allow me to look human during the day, but at night I would return to my true form. So I dug out this cave beneath the building for me to go to during the night as well as store my personal collection of shiny goods. Now you haven't answered my question, Moana. What do you know about Te Fiti?"

"My Gramma told me she was a creation goddess, who made all the continents and oceans that surround them. Then one day, her heart was stolen by Maui which caused the demon Te Kā to appear. As a result, Lalotai was created and its demonic monsters got loose in the oceans until Maui sealed them away using his magic hook."

"Correct," Tamatoa said in an angry tone. "But I was able to get out of Lalotai and steal Maui's hook in retaliation for the time he broke off several of my beautiful legs."

As if to make a point, Tamatoa moved three of his back-legs which were a little smaller than the front ones.

"I also stole his hook thinking that he had the Heart of Te Fiti on him, which I've wanted to get my claws on for the longest time," Tamatoa continued, looking down at Moana. "Do you happen to know where it is?"

Hesitantly, Moana shook her head.

Frowning, Tamatoa lifted Maui up with his smaller claw and started to press Maui's chest which made him cry out in pain. "I may pride myself on lies, but you are no good liar. Either you tell me the truth, Moana, or Maui dies."

Seeing Maui's pained look, Moana responded, "Okay, I'll tell you where the Heart is. But you have to not only promise that you'll not harm Maui but also give him his hook back."

"You drive a hard bargain," Tamatoa remarked. "If you can show me the Heart of Te Fiti, I might be willing to part with the hook."

"Only if you show me the hook first," Moana insisted.

So reluctantly, Tamatoa used his other claw to reach up to his back and pull out the unusually large hook Moana saw in the office.

"How do I know it's not a fake?" Moana said dubiously.

Blinking, Tamatoa grumbled, "Why would I go through the trouble of carrying a fake hook on my back? This is where I keep my most precious items in my collection! If you don't believe me, I'll let Maui hold onto it for a little bit so he can demonstrate its magic powers, okay?"

"Sure," Moana agreed and popped open the locket on her necklace. "And to show I'm not lying, here's the Heart of Te Fiti."

This made Tamatoa's eyes widen, which gave Maui enough time to grab the claw that was squeezing him and break it in half. Surprised by this, Tamatoa was thrown off-balance which made him drop the hook. Moana immediately sprinted towards the hook after closing the locket, and was able to grab it before one of Tamatoa's feet crushed her. She then threw the hook to Maui, which allowed him to severe the claw completely. As he landed on the floor, Maui and Moana ran beneath Tamatoa towards the entrance he emerged from. What they ended up on was a beach that stretched beneath the pier on either side of them. But from there, they were able to find the dock where Maui's boat was tied to and set sail for the ocean beyond.

End of Chapter 24