Chapter Text
Moana was standing in the palm of Te Fiti, awestruck by the Goddess. Maui stood beside her. He was smiling sheepishly. They had just restored the heart of Te Fiti and now she was thanking them. Moana had never felt more powerful than she did in that moment.
Te Fiti first offered a new hook to Maui. The demigod couldn’t stop the delighted smile that lit up his face. However, he quickly calmed down and looked pleadingly at Moana. It was clear that he wanted her opinion. This brought a silly smile to her face and she nodded. “You know; it would be rude to not accept a gift from a goddess.”
Maui’s face split into a large grin and he promptly took the hook from Te Fiti’s offered hand. He cheered loudly, much to Moana’s amusement. She elbowed him in the side, a reminder that he was in the presence of a goddess. Maui once more beamed sheepishly at Te Fiti and offered his gratitude. She nodded in acknowledgement before Maui transformed into a giant hawk and took off, circling around the island.
Te Fiti’s attention turned to Moana and, much to the surprise of the chief’s daughter, spoke into her mind. “Moana, you have done a great service to me. I wish to offer you a gift in return.” He voice was powerful, yet it held a wispy tone to it.
Moana thought being in her presence was gift enough. “You owe me nothing, Te Fiti. I gave you your heart back because it is yours. It was a great service to do this task for you.” Moana explained.
Te Fiti simply made the motion of chuckling, though there was no noise. “I want to reward you, Moana. If you so choose, I would like to make you a demigoddess. This is not a decision to take wisely, but I know it will suit you well.”
Moana was shocked by her proposal. She, Moana, a demigoddess? Never in a million years did she think that this would be a choose for her to make. She would undoubtedly become a legend if she agreed. She could go on many more adventures with Maui and save the world. She would become immortal.
Now that was an interesting thought. She wasn’t sure what to think of it. On one hand, if she were immortal, Moana could stay with Maui forever. He would never be alone again and he would have someone who truly cared for him. He would have a friend. On the other hand, she would be forced to watch everyone she knows and loves die. Her parents and her people would pass on while she remained a constant fixture in the world.
It was an enticing offer. She just couldn’t decide what to do.
Te fiti smiled at the girl’s struggle. “You do not have to make a decision now. Return home, Moana. Speak with your family and your tribe. When you are ready to make a decision, just touch the ocean’s surface. She will tell me you are ready and I will come to you.” Te Fiti reassured her.
Moana sighed in relief and nodded. She was grateful that she needn’t choose now. Te Fiti leaned her heard forward and closed her eyes. Moana did the same and their foreheads touched. They stayed like that for a few seconds before pulling away. Te Fiti then gently set her on the ground. Maui swooped in, still as a hawk, and transformed into a man while landing beside her.
Te Fiti waved her hand and flowers blew around them, dancing in the wind. Nearly the oceans shore, the wind picked up and the flowers spun quickly. When they disappeared, a new canoe appeared. Moana smiled in appreciation.
Te Fiti then grew high, towering above them, and then laid down on her side. She became the mountain once more. Together, Moana and Maui gathered supplies from the island to stock the canoe for Moana’s trip home. When everything was settled, they turned their attention to Heihei- who was once again being destructive to himself.
Maui laughed wholeheartedly and picked him up. “I’m gonna miss you drumstick.” He beamed as he put the chicken into the boat. Moana smiled at the demigod. “You could come with us; you know? My people could use a master wayfinder to show them the ropes.” Moana offered.
“They already have one.” Maui informed her. Moana smiled softly back at him, feeling warm by the compliment. It was the second nicest thing he had ever said to her. She was really going to miss him. “See you around.”
Moana waved as he transformed into a hawk and took off. She watched him go with a heavy heart. Hopefully, she would see him again really soon. Until then, Moana boarded her canoe and set sail for Montunui. It was a weeks’ journey and she wanted to be home as soon as possible.
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When the island of Montunui finally came into view, Moana’s heart soared. She had tears in her eyes when she pulled up to the sandy beach. Her entire trip had come to greet up, her parents in the lead. She had barely stopped when she jumped from the canoe and flew towards Chief Tui and Sina.
Her parents threw their arms around their daughter and hugged her tightly. Both were relieved to have her back on Montunui, safe and sound. Moana smiled sheepishly at her dad. “I maaay have gone a little passed the reef.”
Chief Tui simply smiled. “It suits you.”
The rest of the tribe then greeted them and Moana found herself being passed from one person to another. Everyone was excited to have the daughter of the chief home once more. And they were all looking forward to whatever story she had to tell.
Moana was more than happy to tell it, but soon enough she needed rest. After all, she hadn’t really had a chance to get a good night’s rest in quite some time. It was difficult to sleep when you were one a dangerous quest. She promised her people that she would tell them everything the following day. They reluctantly let her go.
Her parents followed her back to her hut. They weren’t ready to say goodnight to their daughter quite yet. Moana was actually grateful to have them at her side. She had really missed them both. She entered her hut and sat cross-legged on the ground. Her parents sat down a crossed from her. Moana knew they were waiting on her to speak.
“You guys look like you have questions.” Moana finally spoke. Her parents gave a look that suggested that that was definitely the case. “Anything specific you want to know?”
“I think the biggest question we have is, what happened?” Her father asked, not to Moana’s surprise. She figured they’d open with the most open-ended question. It would take a lot of explaining to cover everything.
“Lots of things happened. I meet the demigod Maui, we fought off some kakamora- they are not cut, by the way. So don’t even try to suggest they are.” Moana emphasized, much to her parent’s puzzlement. She didn’t give time to ask questions before continuing. “Then we sailed to Lalotai, which I actually went into. Like, it was the real realm of monsters. Maui didn’t think I would do it, but I did. I even saved him from a giant, narcissistic crab. Then we faced the lava demon, Te Ka. We nearly died though and Maui left because his fish hook was nearly destroyed. I wanted to give up then, but Gramma appeared and convinced me to follow my heart. My heart wanted me to return the heart without Maui’s help. So I set sail once again. This time I faced Te Ka on my own. Luckily Maui appeared and saved my life. He helped me get to the island that we believed to be Te Fiti, but it turned out that Te Ka was actually Te Fiti. I got her attention and I returned her heart.” Moana stopped then to catch her breath.
Her parents had an odd look of worry and pride on their faces. Moana simply chuckled nervously, unsure of what to say next. She was afraid to bring up Te Fiti’s offer because she wasn’t sure how her parents would react.
Her mother must’ve seen that there was more. “What happened next?” Sina asked her daughter, voice thick with apprehension.
Moana bit the inside of her lip and sighed. “Te Fiti was impressed by me. She wanted to offer me a gift. She- she offered to make me a demigoddess.” She finally revealed. She had spoken hastily, wanting to get the words out quickly. Now she was watching her parents, trying to gauge their reactions.
Both of them were staring blankly at their daughter, frozen in their thoughts. Moana was becoming more and more nervous as the silence stretched. Finally, it became too much. “Mom… dad?” She asked quietly.
Her parents blinked several times, as if they were coming out of a dream. Her father spoke up first. “And is this what you want, Moana?” He asked her, his voice was kind and held a certain level of understanding. She knew that whatever choice she made, her parents would stand by her side.
“I’m not sure. I do, but I’m also afraid. I would be immortal and I would have to watch everyone I know and love get old and die. It would bring so much heartache.” Moana finally answered. Her heart and mind were battling which option was the right choice.
“Moana, you will hopefully outlive your father and I no matter which decision you make. But it has to be your own choice. We will support you. Go with your heart. You know the answer; you just have to let yourself accept it.” Sina explained to her only daughter. She couldn’t be prouder of her little girl.
“You’re destined to great things, Moana. And we are so proud of you.” Her father added as well. Moana took a deep breath and nodded. She thanked her parents. She hadn’t made a decision yet, but she was close.
Her parents stood up and took turns kissing the top of Moana’s head. They bid her goodnight and took their leave. Moana watched them go before she stood up and blew out the fire that lit up her hut. Then she curled up on her mat to sleep. She closed her eyes and was instantly out.
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Moana dreamed that she was on her canoe. She had no destination in mind and was simple staring up at the stars, allowing the water to take her wherever it please. Her mind was filled with so many thoughts that she could barely focus as it was.
She heard the cry of a hawk and watched as Maui flew passed her. He didn’t land, just kept on flying. Then, the water glowed a bright blue and a giant manta ray swam beneath her. On the other side of the canoe, her gramma appeared.
“Gramma!” Moana shouted and threw herself into the older woman’s arms. Tala laughed as she hugged her granddaughter back. “I miss you so much.”
“Yes, I can see that.” Her gramma chuckled and pulled away from the younger woman. Tala pat Moana’s hair. “So I hear you have an interesting choice to make. I always knew you were destined for greatness, dear.”
Moana face fell and she looked away from her gramma. “I don’t know what to do. I want to accept Te Fiti’s offer, but I just don’t think I’m good enough. What if I mess everything up? I could bring about the destruction of the world! I mean, just look at Maui. I know he didn’t mean to, but he almost destroyed everything. What if I do the same thing?”
“I suppose it’s a possibility that you could screw everything up. But, I do not think you would.” Gramma Tala explained to her granddaughter. “It’s true that Maui made a mistake, but, with your help, he fixed it. The two of you could do so much good in this world and I truly believe this is the path you are meant to take.”
“Will Maui want me by his side for all eternity?”
“I don’t think he’d want anyone else. I cannot tell you what to do, but you know which path you’d like to take. You just have to be brave enough to do it. I know you are. After all, not many mortals can say that they’ve jumped into Lalotai and came back alive.” Tala winked at her granddaughter. Moana chuckled and nodded. Her grandmother had a point.
Moana knew what she was going to do.
She was going to become a demigoddess.
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Moana woke up the next morning feeling ready for anything. Now that she knew what path to take, she felt she could take on the world. She got up and left the hut to find her parents. She needed to tell them what she had decided.
Sina and Tui were talking to some of the villagers when Moana found them. With one luck, they knew what her decision was. They embraced Moana and told her how proud they were of her and that they knew she was making the right choice. She had always been destined to be great, and now it was actually happening.
Moana then gathered her people around and told them her story. Everyone was enthralled from the start to the finish. When she told them her decision to become a demigoddess, they cheered in delight. That night, they held a feast.
The villagers ate, laughed, and danced well into the night. Moana joined in with their fun, feeling lighter than she had in quite some time. Now that she had a path laid out for her, she was finally able to relax and be who she truly was. All the while, the ocean called out for her and she couldn’t wait to return.
Once the last villager had gone to bed, Moana went to the ocean. She was greeted with a playful squirt to the face. “Nice to see you too.” Moana laughed. “Would you please tell Te Fiti that I have reached a decision.”
The ocean swirled around before lifting up and giving a quick nod. The wave flattened and the ocean became calm. Nothing happened for several seconds. And then, everything changed.
The grass behind her rose and she watched in awe as a smaller version of Te Fiti appeared. The goddess smiled at Moana. “You have reached a decision?” She asked Moana, once more in her head.
Moana nodded. “I will gladly accept your gift.”
Te Fiti’s smile grew. “I knew you would accept.” She giggled before waving a hand. Once more there were flower petals dancing in the wind. This time they swirled around Moana. “Moana of Montunui, I know deem you the demigoddess of all that is flora and fauna. You will have gained the powers of speaking with animals and the ability to heal plant life. You are immortal and it will be nearly impossible to kill you. Everyone will know your name.”
The pedals calmed and disappeared, revealing a new Moana. She had matured into a grown woman. Her hair was longer, and even more wild, but silkier than it had ever been. Her clothing changed to create a pattern of animals and plants. A flower crown now rested upon her head. Moana approached the sea and looked at her reflection, gasping at the change.
“You are beautiful. I know you will do incredible thing, Moana.” Te Fiti complimented before she shrunk down into the ground once more.
Moana just stood there for several minutes, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was now a demigoddess. “Moana, demigoddess of all that is flora and fauna. It certainly has an interesting ring to it.” She hummed thoughtfully. She supposed it made sense that she was goddess of the land. Maui already had the sea covered.
She wondered what he would think when he saw her. It would certainly shock him. She looked forward to seeing his reaction. Moana was immortal now, just as he was. The two of them could protect the world. Neither of them would be alone.
This thought alone comforted Moana.