Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Moana. All belong to Disney and the story's creators. I only own Lahela. I hope you enjoy the story. Reviews are greatly appreciated. And thank you to those who have reviewed already!

This one got a little carried away from me, but Lahela does as she pleases.

- ShadowMoon2430

Chapter 3

After several hours at sea, Moana and Lahela found themselves in somewhat of a routine. Moana tried to sail, rather poorly in Lahela's opinion, and Lahela entertained herself by watching. After the hundredth laugh heard from the goddess however, Moana threw down the rope she had been trying to fix.

"Instead of laughing, why don't you help? You did say you were coming to help me," Moana stated as she stared her down with hands on her hips.

The laugh from the goddess was not the response she wanted however.

Lahela grinned at Moana's annoyance. "Someone wasn't listening very well. I said I might help you, and I never said what I would be helping you with. I'm perfectly fine relaxing here, thank you very much."

"Some goddess you are," Moana mumbled before speaking up again. "Gramma said you used to travel between islands. So you must know how to sail. If you didn't need to, I doubt you'd still be sitting here with me."

Lahela leaned forward before replying. "I know what you're trying to do… I'm not helping."

Moana opened her mouth to reply but paused when she heard a sound that certainly didn't belong in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by nothing.

Both paused as they listened again for the sound, hearing the sound of thudding coming from the storage section of the boat.

"What did you pack, exactly?" Lahela asked with skepticism as she eyed the section but not moving from her position.

"Nothing that should be moving…" Moana trailed off as she stepped closer. She paused for a moment, oar in hand as she looked to Lahela, hoping she would at least assist if needed. A second later, she opened the hatch only to spot a familiar rooster, with a bowl over it's head, that most certainly should not have been onboard. "Heihei?"

Lahela stared dumbfounded at the sight. "How in the world did the rooster get here?"

Moana scooped him up and set him on deck. "No idea." She proceeded to take the bowl off his head. A moment passed in silence, watching the rooster stare at nothing before something finally clicked. Then the screaming started.

The goddess clenched her hands as the rooster grated on her nerves. Moana quickly put the bowl back over his head, silencing him. It lasted but a second before she removed it again only for the screaming to continue again.

"Quiet that thing down before I do and turn it into fried chicken," Lahela snarled, already eying the rooster with disdain.

Moana looked at her wide eyed before putting the bowl on his head again. "Give me one minute." The next time she took the bowl away, she managed to get Heihei to calm down to Lahela's amazement.

Within the same span of time, that amazement vanished. One second Heihei was there, next he was face down in the water, drifting away.

"Your bird is hopeless."

A few mishaps later, Heihei was safely stored amongst their items and they were back to their main mission of sailing.

A silence settled over them once again as they made their way towards Maui. This time however, Lahela decided to be slightly more helpful. If she noticed they were starting to veer off course, she would remind the girl which way they should be heading. It wasn't great, but it was an improvement.

With the new rhythm set, Lahela focused less on Moana's sailing. She sat with her back to her, one foot propped up as the other trailed along the top of the water. It had been so long since she had been on the water. She couldn't even remember a time she had spent time on the water with someone either. Her life was rather solitary. The only companion she could really say she had around in the last couple thousand years would be the ocean. Even then, it was hardly a companion. She and the ocean rarely saw eye to eye, if one could even say that about a body of water that had no form of verbal communication.

From behind her, she could hear Moana repetitively practicing what she would say to Maui, changing her enunciation and tone, hoping to find the most convincing delivery of her line. It was amusing. She could only imagine how any of them, god or demigod, would respond to some random human demanding that they do something.

The day continued on. Moana recited words and Lahela kept an eye on the sky, watching their progress. In little time at all, the last rays of day disappeared as the stars and moon traded places with the sun.

"Lahela?"

The goddess turned partially from her spot to look at Moana in question.

"There's something I've been wondering about," she hesitated between her words, unsure of her question. "The times I met you before, you never came across as someone… Well, someone who would help me find Maui and Te Fiti. Why are you?"

"I've been asking myself a variation of that question for fifteen years." Lahela looked down as she ran her hand through the ocean passing underneath them. "The ocean made me come to your island. I think I stayed simply because I was curious. You were special, chosen, and I couldn't figure out why."

Moana fastened the sails so they would hold on their own before sitting down beside Lahela. "You came because the ocean chose you as well?"

"Not quite, the ocean can't choose me. I already have a job I'm supposed to do." She turned away from Moana then, looking out along the horizon instead. "After the heart was lost, islands started to die one at a time. I've watched this darkness take hold before. And I have seen Te Kā. As far as I know, none of the other gods concern themselves with what is going on so I've been monitoring it. I'm ready for it to be over."

Her words left Moana speechless as she looked at the goddess. She acted human at times but that moment reminded her just who she was dealing with. "I suppose watching the world die would be a harder job than causing storms," she replied weakly.

"Exactly! That is why I'm helping you find Maui," Lahela emphasized, suddenly showing an aggravation she had kept in check for years now. "If that stupid demigod hadn't made a mess of things and vanished then I wouldn't have had to keep an eye on it. You can use whatever words you want in order to convince him but I'll drag him there if I have to. He has no clue what is coming for him."

"And that's why you came." Moana pushed her hair back as a stronger breeze started rolling through. She glanced towards the sky as she noticed the sky slowly darkening. The change seemed unexpected. It was only after she looked back at Lahela to comment on it that she realized why it might have changed. It seemed the goddess of storms controlled them whether it was intentional or not.

Lahela looked up at the sky then as a quietness fell around them, broken only by the sound of the ocean and wind. Within the last few hours, she surprisingly was starting to get used to being around Moana. She couldn't push away the doubt she had been carrying for years though. Perhaps it was time to finally test her. "There is one thing I need to know before we do much else though. Hardships are waiting for you on this trip. If I am helping, I need to know you can push through them."

Before Moana could question what she meant, Lahela silenced her with a strong gust of wind, causing the boat to veer in a new direction as it pushed against the sails.

"You will have my help if you make it," Lahela said before she fell silent and stood still as she focused her attention on the sky.

In an attempt to stop the coming disaster, Moana screamed at the goddess. "Stop it! What is the point of this?"

Lahela did not move or even falter with her attention. Eyes remained fixed on the sky as the wind continued picking up and the clouds darkened with each second. By that point, not a single star could still be seen.

Unsure what else to do, Moana did the only thing she could think of at that moment. Her goal was still the same. She had to stay on course. The last thing she needed was to become lost at sea. She moved her attention back to the sail, though with no stars to track, she could only hope that her course was true.

The first raindrop fell, then another. Moana turned her attention back to Lahela as she steeled her eyes to her. She couldn't let this get worse. Hoping this would not make matter worse, Moana took a chance and ran at the goddess, quickly covering the few feet that were between them. The next second, she was pushing the goddess though she let out a yelp when she realized she had pushed her into the rough waters.

Lahela broke the surface as she swam farther from the boat. "I'm not stopping. I said I would test you and this is your test." Things were a bit more difficult when she wasn't on solid ground, but a short swim would not stop her. Moana would just have to learn that the hard way. "Just let me do this, Ocean," Lahela said quietly as she focused on the wind and rain.

It pulled her attention away from the storm briefly, but the rain continued to fall in a steady drizzle over both girls. Moana focused on keeping the boat steady as the growing waves tried to tip it over. Lahela let the girl have her moment as she focused on stepping out of the water. With her power and compliance from the ocean, she was soon standing on the water.

Though half her focus was on keeping herself above water, Lahela quickly went back to building the storm. She had no intention of harming Moana, but this would be the least of her problems considering her path ahead. Soon, lightning filled the sky as the rain poured down all around them.

All it took was one more push between the waves and wind. The boat tipped too far, flipping over as Moana fell into the ocean. Her struggling continued as she begged the ocean to help her. To Lahela's surprise, the ocean did not aid her.

By then, the sea was the only obstacle Moana needed to face. Lahela brought her focus away from the storm. It would pass in time if she didn't assist it. She could already see the oncoming wave. There would certainly be no avoiding that for either of them.

"I suppose that will be enough," she said to the ocean. "A bit of assistance might be needed after that wave passes." She could already feel the strain of using her powers in such a manner. She would never make a habit out of standing on water. "Suppose she passes though." The goddess shrugged weakly before she let herself drop back into the ocean.

Lahela swam closer to where Moana was but didn't say a word. It was clear she wouldn't notice her as she was too focused on the fast-approaching wave. As it was upon then, both braced themselves as they were pulled with the wave and tumbled through the water.

Lahela pushed her hair out of her face as she pushed herself through the water's surface. A second later, she saw the ocean helping Moana who was unconscious. Everything seemed well enough. And even more surprising was that the boat was still in one piece, though still upside down.

The night continued in an easier pace. It was the ocean that did most of the work from that point on. Before the night was even over, a small island came into view, one Lahela was almost positive was their destination.

With the boat pushed onto the shore and Moana dropped into the sand, Lahela settled into a spot as she leaned against the boat. Morning might just come too soon for her. If there was ever another chosen one, she might just skip the test and take the ocean's word for it.

I originally planned to post the scene of them meeting Maui with this one, but I didn't anticipate her test taking so long to write out. I hope to get the next one out soon. Might take an extra day due to real life things going on though. Figured I'd get this part out at least. I just hope it made sense. Let me know your thoughts! Until next time!