Hello, fellow readers!

I managed to finish this a week later than I'd hoped, as I originally wanted to have this chapter done and posted in time for Christmas as a gift for you all, but other things came up. However, since it is still the holidays, I hope you enjoy this early upload. HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone, and may 2025 be better than 2024!

Author's note: I don't speak te reo Māori, so please forgive me if my usage of a couple of words that are incorrect, and if there are fluent reo Māori speakers who have read this fic, feel free to correct me, I'll be more than happy to make those changes.

And I apologize if there are any grammar mistakes, as I was rushing to finish this chapter.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Destruction was everywhere. The villagers' fale were all in ruins, and the stones for the paepae from each fale were scattered around, leaving wood and lava stones everywhere. The young man's stone grey eyes looked at the wreckage, his stone-patterned rāpaki swaying slightly as the beads swung from his tatuā, colliding with each other as he took in the solemn scene all around him, the wet grass crunched beneath his bare feet.

He bent down to pick up one of the lava stones in front of him, letting the single piece rest in the palm of his hand. Small glowing particles emitted from his skin into the stone's surface, forming swirling koru atop it.

He received flashes of the fates of the inhabitants residing in this part of the village and shook his head, causing his half-tied curly hair to tussle against his shoulders. "What a mess..." Before he knelt to put the stone back, he was unaware of the bulky, imposing silhouette behind him, wielding a giant fishhook.

That was until he heard a stern voice behind him, "And guess who's going to clean it up, Manu."

Manu scrunched his face and squeezed his eyes shut as he slowly turned around with a forced grin on his face, "Hey, Dad…"

Maui crossed his arms over his chest and said while air quoting, "Don't 'Hey Dad' me." Before his tone immediately became accusatory, "You told me you could handle this."

Manu jumped to his feet, making the ground shake beneath his feet, "Okay, so I made one itty-bitty mistake––and let my guard down––"

Maui squeezed his son's lips to shut him up and said, "Could you stop talking for a minute and let me finish?" After he released his fingers from his son's lips and pinched the bridge of his nose. "How many times have I told you never to let your guard down or not to take your eyes off Lō, even for a second."

Manu immediately opened his mouth to state to defend himself, but Maui didn't even let him utter a single word, "You had one job, Manu: keep an eye on the crazy old lady. And you blew it." Before Manu tried to defend himself again, the loud, low-toned hum of a lamenting tune resonated from one spot, and Maui immediately turned his attention to the melody.

Manu peeked behind and could immediately tell what his dad was about to do just by his body language. "Dad, no. No––" A glowing bluish hue reflected on his face, followed by the sound of flapping wings before he flew in the direction of the song.

Manu stood alone with a deadpan expression as he untied his flat-broad green stone from his tātua and began spinning it in the air. Gradually, a soft glow appeared, and he felt its powers coursing through him. He raced toward the half-crumbled paepae in front of him while simultaneously spinning his weapon, "Show me where he went," He commanded before dematerializing into the rocks.

IIIIIIIIIIII

"Oof!" Manu exclaimed as he tripped on one of the stones he phased out from, falling flat on his face. He grunted as he slowly pushed himself up from the ground, just in time to see his father from the corner of his eye. He walked over to him, "Dad, Dad. We gotta move before somebody sees us––"

"Okay, okay, just give me a minute," Maui replied, waving a dismissive hand his way as he kept his eyes focused on the faletofa. Manu immediately rolled his eyes and moved to stand next to him.

"So, why are we looking at this particular fale?" he asked with a hint of boredom in his voice, unaware that his father's hand was reaching for his chin. He felt it being squeezed by his father's fingers and his head forced to look in one specific direction. That's when they both saw a thirteen-year-old girl step outside, with several deep purple siapo to change the pola surrounding the fale.

"Really?" Manu spoke, his voice slightly pressed from his father's grip, "That's what you're waiting for?!"

Maui shushed him as his eyes kept scanning the newly opened fale, and there inside was the very person he was looking for. There she was, hunched over the newly deceased, he could see her shoulder shaking like the other girl across from her. "Look how much she's grown." He murmured.

Manu stood there, raising an unamused eyebrow as he spoke with a slight muffle in his voice. "Then why don't you go over there and talk to her––" He stopped when he heard the familiar twinkling of his father's sentient tattoo. "What do you mean it's not a good time?" he asked Mini-Maui. "She's right there––'she just lost her dad.'" He let out what was supposed to be a scoffing laugh. "That guy's not even her real fa––"

Maui discreetly moved his hand away from his son's chin and covered his mouth to silence him. "Uh. Don't you have hook-finding duty to get back to?" Maui pointed out with an annoyed tone. "So, shoo, get going, buh-bye, and don't let this happen again." Maui was just about to lift his hand off his mouth a thought immediately crossed his mind, "Oh, and one more thing." He gave the back of his head a hard smack, "How many times do I have to tell you not to swing your weapon by its cords,"

"But it's made from flax! Flax is one of the most durable natural fibers out there," Manu stated in a muffled voice.

Maui leaned in closer and looked his son in the eyes, "You look stupid. And, the edges of green stone can be very sharp, so unless you want to lose your weapon in a fight, keep the cord fastened, tied around your wrist to the base of your fingers like you're supposed to. Got it?"

Manu replied, his annoyed tone still muffled by his father's hand, "Yes sir…" Maui removed his hand from the young man's mouth and made a shoo gesture as Manu walked off. He held his green stone weapon toward the left side of his chest and chanted, "Tohutohu," before he dematerialized into the same stone he'd come from.

Maui swallowed the lump in his throat, taking in whatever time he had left to gaze upon the teenage girl—his girl—before the fale was covered again. Finally, the last sheet was hung up and went to drop, cutting his only chance to see her short.

IIIIIIIIIIII

"Whoa!" Manu exclaimed as he came crashing down from the rocky slope he'd summoned from the ground during their fight with Lō. The impact of his fall caused him to slide face-first onto the ground. He let out an annoyed, muffled grunt as he slowly pushed himself up from the ground. A large portion of dirt and grass slid down his face, and his right eye twitched as he wiped the residue off his face. He stood up and started reciting mockingly, "You're the son of the world's greatest demigod, Manu, no task is impossible for you, Manu. You got my blood flowing in your veins, Manu."

He rolled his eyes as he continued venting, "Yeah, sure, I got your blood in my veins, Dad, but I'm only nineteen; I'm still a baby when it comes to this divine stuff, unlike your ancient, egotistical three-thousand-year-old self!" Manu immediately stopped in his tracks and pinched the bridge of his nose before he looked at the sky, imagining his father flying up there, and shouted, "I didn't start this, you know!" And his heart waited for a response, but his mind knew it was never coming.

Finally, he let out an irritated sigh and said to himself, "Let's just get this over with." Slowly, he held his green stone out and chanted in a softer voice: "Arataki," and waved it over the scattered rocks of Waiola's collapsed fale. The green stone didn't glow, leaving him baffled. He lifted it and began shaking it before giving it several light taps with his wrist. When that didn't work, he chanted the same spell again, and when that didn't work, he began shaking it violently with both hands. "What's wrong with this thing?"

Suddenly, he felt a chill run up his spine as he heard a womanly coming from the shadows, "Yes, what is wrong with that mere you have in your hand there?"

Manu quickly turned around, holding his weapon out, as a woman with ashen-colored skin and black smokey hair that seemed to evaporate toward the sky appeared, her sclera was completely black while her irises had that same bluish glowing stardust hue that ancestral spirits had. Her clothing was a mix of dark purple and black, decorated with black feathers. Manu had heard tales about her during his childhood in Motunui, and now this legendary personification was standing before him.

"Pō," Manu spoke as he continued wielding his mere in front of her, "You better not try anything, I'm armed––"

She rolled her eyes in amusement and informed him, "Please, I'm not here for you," Leaving Manu puzzled but guarded as he made sure never to turn his back to her as she slowly glided past him and gracefully traced her hands over ruins within her reach, "Can you feel all that death?" She paused for a moment and smiled when she realized he wasn't letting his guard down, "If I wanted to kill you, I would've done so already. Besides, I already told you I'm not here for you or your father."

Manu finally eased and asked, while shrugging his shoulders, "Then why are you here?"

Pō just stared at him with an amused toothy grin and one hand placed casually on her hip, "You're asking me, a goddess of the night and guardian of departed souls, why I'm visiting an island touched by death?"

Manu paused for a moment and admitted, "Alright, that was a dumb question––" Then something clicked in his head, and he exclaimed, "Hey, wait a minute! You've never personally led lost souls to your domain––"

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't," Pō replied, "But there was one soul in particular that made the exception."

Manu crinkled his nose in confusion, "Whose?"

IIIIIIIIIIII

Tala smiled sadly as she reached for the lowered siapo and draped it back over their father's head. "Say hi to Mom for us,"

"Papa!" Melelani called out as she tried to reach out for their father, but Makoa quickly put his arms around her and held her back. Tala walked around their father toward where her younger siblings were and lifted her little three-year-old sister from their brother's arms, finally giving him a chance to say his goodbyes to their father as well.

Manaia finally lifted her head and slowly turned to face her older sister, "We need to start planning the funeral…"

"Could you not?" Hinatea hissed before she lifted her head and gave her younger sister a dangerous stare.

Manaia had a pleading look in her eyes, "He needs a proper burial––"

"Who cares how we're going bury him?!" Hinatea exploded, "None of this would've happened if you hadn't decided to play hero and save me."

Tui immediately tried to intervene and called out to his eldest granddaughter. However, his voice seemed to fade into the background as Hinatea continued her verbal attack.

Manaia told her, "I was just trying to protect you––"

Hinatea jumped to her feet, "I don't need protecting," And said while pointing her finger straight at her, "And I don't need you! We don't need you!" The sharpness of her words immediately pierced her sister's heart, Manaia immediately drew herself back and came very close to crying once again.

"Hinatea!" Tui shouted as he reached over and pulled her back down gently before he spoke to her with a softer tone, "We're all angry, we're all grieving, but now it's not the time to point fingers at each other. This isn't what your father would've wanted. He loved you all, and the last thing he would've wanted to see was us tearing each other apart when we all need to come together. And tonight, we should let him rest so he may join his ancestors."

"Do you know any of them?" Makoa questioned as he wiped his nose with his arm.

"I'm afraid not," Tui answered, "And unfortunately, neither did your father." He motioned his grandchildren to gather around him, "But before I tell you the story of how he landed on these shores, there's another tale he wanted you all to know."

He turned to all of his grandchildren and took a deep breath, "There is a secret that your father never had the chance to reveal to you all, especially to you, Hinatea." He hesitated for a brief moment to look at his eldest granddaughter in the eyes, "Before I begin, I need to know if you'll be strong enough––"

"Grandpa, don't. Just tell the story already––"

"Hinatea, this might be a lot for you to take in––"

"I can handle it." She snapped, "Alright? So, whatever this secret is, just spill it."

Manaia immediately turned to her sister, her expression a mix of sadness, sympathy, and disappointment by her lippy tone toward their grandfather, "Hina…"

Hinatea whirled her head toward her sister and hissed, "You shut up."

Tui immediately began his story before another fight began, "Today wasn't the first time Lō made her way to Tuatahi's shores. In fact, the first time happened sixteen years ago," He turned and shifted his gaze between Hinatea and Manaia, "She came the night your mother gave birth…" He paused to glance down at the large siapo covering Huamo and immediately felt a slight pang in his heart, that's when he felt a hand grasping his own, he turned and saw Tala's encouraging look as she slowly sat directly next to him. Tui took another breath and continued, "Your mother's labor was long and arduous––"

IIIIIIIIIIII

The atmosphere outside the smaller, hastily constructed fale near the faletofa was more than tense––it was downright frightening… at least for one of the parties involved. Tui had to keep a firm hand on Huamo's shoulder to stop the soon-to-be father from entering while Waiola and her daughters did their work.

"What's taking so long?" Huamo blurted, barely hiding the concern in his voice as another scream resonated from the small fale, once again, Tui held him back.

"This is completely normal," Tui reassured him and informed him, "The first ones are always the hardest,"

"Shouldn't there be noises––crying? Screaming––"

"Huamo, don't worry, all of this is completely normal," Tui once again reassured, "She'll be fine, I'm sure of it. If there were any complications, Waiola or Aimata would've let us know by now."

Huamo couldn't help but ask, "Were you this nervous when Moana was born?"

"Absolutely," Tui affirmed, "But I knew that Sina had a lot of capable women surrounding her, my mother was among them."

"Tala," Huamo spoke before he paused, "Chief Tui, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." He watched his father-in-law's expression change from calming reserve to slight curiosity.

"And what would that be?"

Before Huamo could even begin, loud bird-like cries echoed from above. The sound was louder than anything he'd ever heard before, and sure enough, a shadow of a giant bird overcast them and headed toward the beach.

Seconds later, a loud BOOM echoed from the same beach. The impact sound resonated all over the village, causing the villagers inside their homes to step out to investigate immediately, but Tui knew exactly who'd come.

"Maui," He uttered before he turned to Huamo and ordered, "Stay with––" He barely finished his sentence when the cries of a baby echoed from the beach. He grabbed the torch closest to him and hurried down the path with Huamo racing behind him.

IIIIIIIIIIII

With a blue flash, the giant hawk shape-shifted to his human form, Maui knelt with one knee bent on the sand with two woven flax carriers strapped to him, one on his back and the other on his chest. He opened his mouth to gloat about his amazing landing, but he barely had time with the baby's loud cries and his young boy's voice asking from the pikau strapped to Maui's back, "Are we there yet?"

"Yeah," Maui retorted with an annoyed tone, "We're here." He singlehanded took off the straps to the pikau on his back, causing it to slide down with his three-year-old still inside it. Little Manu landed on the sand with a soft oof! While the baby strapped to his front continued crying. Maui immediately removed the second set of straps and gently held the pikau in his right hand, where a one-month-old baby girl was crying her little lungs out. Maui immediately grabbed the tiny fishhook in his grasp and carefully handed it to his baby girl.

He watched as her little fingers could barely curl around the bone carving when a warm orange glow illuminated to his right. He looked up and saw many unfamiliar faces–wearing all sorts of different styles of outfits—which made things very clear to him… again.

This wasn't the island. But, just like the other times, he wasn't going to show them his disappointment, and the air of bravado instantly kicked in as he was just about to begin his casual greetings––that was until the crowd parted, revealing one familiar face.

"Moana's dad! You're alive!" Maui spoke up, barely hiding his excitement to see his best friend's father standing before his eyes. After all, that could only mean one thing. Immediately, he darted toward the crowd, his eyes searching expectantly for his missing friend. His mind was so focused on finding her face in the crowd that he hadn't realized his young son was tugging on the rope that held his leaves together till his three-year-old had the bright idea to stomp on his foot… hard.

"OW!" Maui cried before he whirled his head to look down and glare at him. Then he noticed Manu was pointing to the receding sea and turned his little head to look up at him. His little eyes widened with fear.

Maui instinctively shoved the pikau in his son's arms and ordered as he picked up his giant fishhook, failing to notice the carrier was too big for his son's arms to handle, "Hold the baby," He turned to look behind him and instructed, as Huamo took the pikau from the little boy as Maui continued with his instructions "Okay Moana's dad, you need to get everyone as far away––"

But it seemed Maui didn't need to direct anything as Tui immediately acted and ordered his people, "Everyone, head to higher ground!" Before he turned to Huamo, knowing him being younger and faster, he told him, "Take the children with you and wake everyone who's still asleep in their fale. Lead them to the mountains."

Huamo nodded before he quickly strapped the pikau to his back and grabbed three-year-old Manu. He then carried the little boy under his arm. "What about Moana?"

"Leave her to me, now go!"

Huamo reluctantly nodded before he turned and ran as fast as he could, going beyond to rush to the front of the crowd to wake the rest of their people in their homes.

The sea continued receding, showing no signs of striking just yet, so Maui took this last-minute chance to call out just as Tui was about to join Huamo in evacuating the villagers, "Hey, Moana's dad?" As the symbols on the giant fishhook glowed, "You mind telling her to get here––"

"Maui––"

"She's gonna love this!"

Tui revealed to him, "Moana's in labor."

Maui immediately felt his mind go blank as he slowly turned to look at Tui with a stupefied look, "She's what?"

Fortunately, in Maui's case, the awkward moment was interrupted by a loud, resonating, ear-piercing anguished scream.

Maui held his free hand over his left ear––he turned to look behind and Tui, on his knees with both hands covering his ears. A second wave of grief-filled cries echoed from the sea. Maui slowly turned his head, and with his ears still ringing, he changed his course of action and shifted into his giant hawk form.

Without warning, Tui felt sharp talons around his arms and the wind beneath his feet as Maui stated in his giant-hawk form, "Change of plans, show me which house is hers right now!" Tui quickly looked down and saw Huamo's tiny form below them, ushering the newly woken villagers out of their homes and directing them toward the mountains.

Then, he spotted the birthing fale and shouted, "That one, to your left!" Maui made the turn and glided down to the spot. Once his feet touched the ground, he wasted no time entering the fale while Maui stood armed and ready outside.

Seconds later, the unmistakable shrills of a newborn's baby reverberated from inside the fale.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Moana immediately looked up the second her father had rushed in the fale and toward her with an urgent look on his face. "Dad? What's going on?"

"Moana, are you strong enough to move?" Tui asked, his voice mixed with urgency and concern as he quickly approached.

"Where's Huamo?" She questioned the second she noticed he hadn't come with her father.

Tui took his daughter's hand and explained, "He's leading the villagers up the mountains." He paused as they all heard the sounds of running water––a large amount of running water heading toward them.

"Dad, help me up." Moana requested with a determined look on her face. "We need to get my oar––" The eerie ear-piercing scream appeared again, Waiola and Aimata immediately covered their ears, Moana instinctively pressed one hand over the left side of her newborn daughter's head while keeping the right side pressed firmly against her chest, hoping to protect her baby's underdeveloped hearing for the intense noise. Suddenly, there came a powerful smack, and Maui came barrelling toward the main support post, causing it to tilt and the roof to sway.

He quickly grabbed his giant fishhook, changed into a giant hawk, and soared toward Aimata and Waiola first, allowing the two women to grip his chest feathers before gliding toward Moana and her father. Using his beak, he tossed Moana to his back to make her flight easier while she held her newborn before doing the same with her father, as he slid out of fale just in time as it finally collapsed.

Moana glanced over her shoulder to see what the threat was, and that's when she immediately recognized the rampaging entity before her, "Lō…" Her eyes widened when she saw where the giant blackish-watery being was heading. She quickly turned toward the second tallest on Tuatahi, their emergency shelter. It seemed Maui noticed this too and immediately made a detour toward the large fale he saw overlooking a coastal cliff.

It was the only place Lō's waters hadn't touched. Which meant it was safe––and keeping all of them––especially Moana––safe was his main priority right now.

"Wait–wait, Maui, what are you doing?"

Finally, he landed and remained in his giant hawk form until the women helped Moana and her father safely off his back.

Moana carefully handed her baby to her father and pushed herself to run back inside the faletofa to retrieve her oar.

"Hey! Hey! Curly!" Maui called out after he changed back to his human form and easily caught up with her before blocking her path. "You literally just popped out a little human five minutes ago, and it shows. This is no time for you to be fighting."

"Maui, who said I was going fight?" Moana pointed out, feeling the intensity of her emotions rising, she took a deep breath to calm her emotions and focus, "Get me up the mountain with my oar so I can direct Lō's currents away from the island and my people and then I'll leave the rest to you." She saw the hesitating look in his eyes, "Maui, I got this––" He quickly held his hands out for her to take as her shaky legs nearly gave way. She looked at him with a grateful smile and the all too familiar fiery determination in her eyes, "––we got this. I'll deflect, and you fight."

He sighed and relented, "Alright, on one condition––"

"Maui––"

"Don't strain yourself; I've seen my fair share of women having babies, and lemme tell you––"

A set of frightened children's screams reverberated from the rainforest situated between the coastal cliff and the slope leading up to the mountain.

Four-year-old Hiapo screamed, "MAMA!"

Manu's scream followed shortly after, "PAPA!"

IIIIIIIIIIII

A frightful hush washed over the evacuees as this enormous creature managed to separate Huamo's small group from the rest of them by drawing a large wall of water to encase them. "Stay behind me, boys," Huamo ordered as he grabbed the closest thing he could use as a weapon, a thick, long branch. He held the piece of timber out while making sure to stay in front of the two boys at all times.

"The baby's glowing!" Manu stated as he pointed at the woven carrier on Huamo's back, just as Lō rose behind them, placing herself between the four and the frightened villagers. Huamo quickly maintained a fighting position as four-year-old Hiapo held onto Huamo's leg. The four-year-old's eyes widened as he stared at the giant monster's face and her hollowed eyes. Huamo gently pushed Hiapo and Manu behind him as Lō screamed upon seeing the glint emitting from the pikau as she stretched out her hand, ready to grab and take what she came from by any means necessary. "Give her back to me!"

Huamo instinctively bent his knees and curved his spine as much as he could in an attempt to protect the boys and the baby strapped to his back while holding the large stick toward her. At the same time, her giant hand rushed right at them when another wall of water rose directly in front of Lō's hand. This time, the water was clear and blue, with glowing speaks of magnificent yellow within it.

"It's Papa!" Manu cheered as he pointed high in the sky, and Maui's giant eagle flew overhead. Huamo watched with worry and relief etched on his face as the divine carving glowed on Moana's oar as she used her powers. "We're saved!" The little three-year-old's excitement continued as he stomped hard on the ground, causing the area around them to shake almost immediately before columnar jointed basalts shot out of the ground. The impact of its sudden appearance sent him, Huamo and Hiapo flying up within the same airspace as Maui and Moana were.

The sounds of the nearby screaming and a baby's cries immediately caught Maui and Moana's attention. He turned his head only to see his son and another boy around his age flailing their arms and legs as they immediately began free-falling toward the ground. Fortunately, the two boys were within Huamo's reach, and the new father grabbed the two, pulling them close to his chest before he immediately turned himself around in midair as they crashed toward the basalt, letting the right side of his body take in most of the impact as they landed on the surface. An audible CRACK was heard coming from Huamo's bones as the second crashed into the surface. Hiapo quickly lifted his head, "Huamo?" He called as he crawled toward the young man's head.

"Huamo!" Moana screamed with her oar in hand as The Ocean dropped her off toward the basalt's flat hexagon surface. She rushed over, running on pure adrenaline, and was on her knees by his side within seconds. Her focus then shifted as the sounds of a baby's cries came from Huamo's back.

She looked down and saw the unusually long straps and quickly undid the left strap first but gripped the only untied strap to let the main part of the pikau gently touch the ground. She carefully leaned over only to see this tiny one-month-old baby crying their lungs out while grasping a glowing object in their left hand.

Her heart immediately melted at the sight of this thick, curly-haired infant, but soon, all of that affection turned to concern when Huamo let out a sharp cry of pain and said through gritted teeth and tightly shut eyes, "I can't feel my arm…" Soon, the baby's crying registered in his ears, and the next thing that left his lips was, "Are the kids okay?"

Moana turned to her left and saw the two boys looking at her with worried faces and some scratches. She turned to face Huamo, just ready to reassure him. Seconds later, Lō's thundering cry echoed all over the island as she directed all her anger at Maui: "GIVE HER BACK TO ME!"

With her oar in hand and The Ocean's help by letting her dip the oar's head into its surface, Moana used her newly found powers to retake control of the waters Lō had dominated, entrapping the grief-stricken entity in a swirling sea current. Moana looked up at Maui and gave him the signal with a nod.

IIIIIIIIIIII

A heavy silence hung in the air as his only grandson and two eldest granddaughters stared at him with shock and surprise in their eyes as Tui faced his eldest granddaughter and said, "That baby was––"

A village man shouted from outside, his voice grew louder, and he neared the faletofa, "Chief Tui! We found a survivor down by the beach!"

Tui quickly stood up and told his grandchildren, "Get some sleep, I'll finish the story tomorrow morning,"

"But Grandpa, you were getting to the best part!" Makoa protested just before Manaia shushed him and took his hand before she stood up and led him to his sleeping mat, letting Tala take over their younger sister's bedtime routine while Hinatea remained sitting firmly on her spot as their grandfather exited the fale.

IIIIIIIIIIII

The saltwater never tasted so horrible as it did tonight. Hiapo lifted his face from the sand and found himself being helped up by several nearby villagers. However, when one of them touched his right arm, the young fisherman let out a pained cry as a sharp but dull pain shot through his muscles. The men helping him immediately released their hold on him, letting Hiapo roll to his back on the sand, and that's when he noticed the unnatural way his arm was bent. His mind couldn't comprehend what was happening, and he cried out, "What happened to my arm?!"

Just as Tui arrived at the scene, relief was written all over his face at the sight of one of their own lying before him––injured but alive. "Go get his mother, and let his sisters know he's still al––"

Hiapo screamed, "Who are you?!" Scrambling his feet on the sand, he quickly from Tui in pure confusion, and then the pain shot up his arm, forcing him to stop. He noticed all of them approaching the young man gently, and that's when Hiapo immediately stood up and shouted, "Get away from me!" As he tried to run, unaware that his mother and older sisters had been informed.

Mele, who lived the closest to the beach, was the first one of her family to rush to the scene and embraced her twenty-year-old baby brother in a tight hug, exclaiming in joy, "We thought we'd lost y––" but immediately pulled away a millisecond later when cried out in pain. She looked down and noticed his broken arm, "Come on, Mom will take care of that in a––"

Hiapo slowly backed away and stared at his second eldest sister as if she were a stranger, "Who are you?"

Mele stared at him, her expression shifting from hurt to disbelief as she approached him slowly, "Hiapo. I'm Mele, your sister, remember?"

"Who's Hiapo?" He asked, scrunching his nose in confusion, the question left a sense of dread and concern on everyone's faces as the rest of Mele's and Hiapo's family approached. Waiola was the last of their family to approach the scene. Her daughters and her eldest grandchildren all watched as their family's matriarch approached with her usual grumpy expression. Waiola took one look at her youngest child and retorted with a deadpan tone, clearly unfazed by the whole thing. "Memory loss."

IIIIIIIIIIII

Manaia blew out the lit candlenut in the coconut husk bowl and undid her double-side braids, letting her long, wavy hair flow off the front of her shoulders and onto her back. She noticed a shadow reflected in front of the single-lit candlenut in their whole fale and turned to see that it was Hinatea casting the shadow and that she hadn't moved since their grandfather's tale. Manaia let out a silent sigh as she tried to reassure her older sister, "Grandpa will be back––"

"Are you spying on me again?!" Hinatea questioned with an accusing tone as she whirled her head to face her sister the second she heard her voice.

"I'm worried about you," Manaia said in a gentle voice, "So, you don't have to keep up the tough girl act all the time––"

Hinatea rolled her eyes and retorted sarcastically, "Okay, Mom." Before she let out an exaggerated gasp, "Oh, sorry, you're not Mom, are you?" She dropped the melodrama and let out her genuine irritation, "How about this, instead of getting all touchy-feely with me, why don't you learn to mind your own business and butt ou––"

"What's happening?" Tala questioned with a cheery tone as she just popped in between her two older sisters out of nowhere, causing Hinatea to let out a startled scream as she fell back and knocked her head against the lava stone floor.

Manaia shook her head and questioned, "Tala, do you have to scare people like that?"

Tala gave her a wide smile, "Well, I had to find some way to distract Hinatea's anger, didn't I? Besides, I already know this story."

Hinatea groaned from her head pain as she grunted while still on the ground, "How?"

"I have my ways," Tala reiterated as she sat cross-legged between them, "I can continue it if you want."

Manaia told her sister with a gentle but slightly firm tone, "Tala, I think we should let Grandpa continue it in the morning. After we all have some rest," She then nudged her head toward where their two younger siblings lay fast asleep, "Besides, it wouldn't be fair if we heard the ending before they did."

"Well, you two do whatever you want," Hinatea muttered as she forced herself to get up and rubbed the back of her head, "I need some fresh air."

Manaia gave her sister a disapproving stare, "Hina, we're not supposed to leave fale at this––"

Hinatea let out a sarcastic chuckle and turned to her sister, "What are you going to do, ground me?" She paid her younger sister's annoyed stare no heed as she stated, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember you being the boss of me, so while you stay here blowing a vein or two, I'm going to head out and get some well deserve air––"

Manaia let out a sigh and said, "Hina, we know what that story was about… I get it, Whakaī was right about one thing, but so what––"

"Okay, that has nothing to do––"

"Just because Whakaī made one lucky guess doesn't mean––"

"Will you shut up?" Hinatea groaned in frustration, "If I want fresh air, I'm gonna get fresh air, Whakaī has nothing to do with this, so drop it already." She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Thanks for reminding me just how unwanted I am, sis. That's exactly what I needed to hear tonight."

Manaia once again tried to speak as Hinatea just began to walk out, "Hina, if you just let me––"

"I don't care!" Hinatea cut her off from the other side of the pola sheet as her silhouette was seen descending the foundation.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Maui immediately ducked behind a nearby bush the second he saw Hinatea marching down out from the fale. He took a deep, sharp breath, part of thinking just how close he could've been to being seen as Mini–Maui wiped some inky sweat from his forehead to further empathize with the quick span of anxiety they both felt, then they both heard her marching past the bush they were hiding behind.

Fortunately, Hinatea didn't seem to notice them or his giant fishhook as she walked on. He could hear her sniffling as she passed, and he took this as a sign that the whole truth had finally been revealed to her.

"Okay, okay," Maui spoke as he prepped himself for this long-overdue reunion, "Be direct, to the point, and everything's going to be okay." He told himself, confident that she'd come to terms with her heritage and the bonus of having one of the most powerful demigods as her father… after losing the only mortal man she'd known as dad their whole life.

A split-second of hesitation kicked in, but it went away as quickly as it came. Mini-Maui immediately stepped in and gave the larger-than-life demigod a skeptical eyebrow raise. Maui waved a dismissive hand in his tattoo's direction, "Pfft! Don't worry, I'll break it down to her gently––" That's when a barge of protesting twinkling sounds echoed, "Of course, I'll pay my respects after––I promise." He slowly turned his gaze toward the faletofa, "Besides, I gotta thank the twig––" That's when Mini-Maui used his tattoo fishhook to twist Maui's left nipple, showing his disapproval for the old nickname he'd given Huamo all those years ago.

"Ow! It's not my fault that he was skinny as a––OW! Okay! Okay! No disrespecting the dead!"

With that, Mini-Maui stopped with his antic and assumed his usual inked position. Maui took a deep breath as he picked up his fishhook, and with a flash of blue, he turned into his vibrant-colored tuatara form and scampered after her. This meeting had to be perfect, and what better way to make it perfect than to show her all the perks that came with being of demigod heritage?

IIIIIIIIIIII

Hinatea made her way down toward her mother's? Moana's? She didn't know what to call the owner of his private beach anymore. Was she still her mom, or was she just her Chiefess who adopted her out of pity? And her dad––did he say he loved her because he meant it, or did he say it out of pity as too? What about the village she'd always called her home… and the villagers here. Did they also watch her grow because they had no choice or because they pitied her, too? There was a gnawing feeling in her stomach that traveled up her heart. Did they all pretend to care because they felt sorry for her… did they see her as weak?

As her thoughts and mixed emotions began to spew together, creating an internal mess, a blue flash appeared and went unnoticed by her… till she saw a large shadow flying over her, causing her to look up, and there she saw the same giant hawk that was about to eat her, her mouth immediately gaped open ready to let out a scream, when the giant hawk's patterned feathers flashed blue, and a shark took its place, and the patterns on the shark's skin glowed blue, and the same colored flash came.

The giant fishhook the person held was a dead giveaway. Maui rolled in the air, tossed his giant fishhook in front of where he planned to land, did a perfect level-three dive roll, and ended his demonstration by grabbing his hook. Finally, he lifted his head, "Pretty cool, right?" He questioned with a confident smile, "Well, shape-shifting and using magic is one the many perks of being a demigod, kiddo."

He then pointed his fishhook after it lost its magical blue glow, "I know you have a lot of questions, but the short answer is yes, I'm your dad, and also yes, am I this amazing…" His attempt at a grandiose entrance and his expectations of this joyous reunion began to deflate the second he saw Hinatea go pale, her round eyes going wide in shock, and her breathing becoming swallow as she took one shaky backstep.

Maui stood there, completely stunned, clearly, this wasn't the reaction he'd envisioned, and then he immediately tossed his fishhook aside and rushed in to catch her just before she fell into the sand.

"Hinatea!" Maui called out to her in a panic as he leaned in, putting his ear in front of her nostrils, while Mini-Maui began trying to fan her. Maui let out a sigh of relief when he could hear breathing. He straightened up, his tense expression immediately relaxed as he gazed upon his unconscious daughter, recalling the last time he was able to see her and how much she'd grown over the last thirteen years. He let out a sad chuckle as he noted her feature, "You take after me, only girlier,"

Unaware that Manu had made his appearance, he stood a few feet away from his father, next to a group of natural lava rocks, with his arms crossed over his chest and shaking his head in disapproval. His mutter went completely unnoticed, "You just can't help yourself, can you?"