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Far from Motunui, deep under the sea, the world was silent. The sun's rays filtered weakly through the water, casting shadows on the shoals and formations of rocks and sand. A group of smelt swam in sync through the water, creating patterns. As they passed through a beam of light, their silver scales flashed momentarily. It was peaceful beneath the waves. Sound was muted, the distant noises of the shore far above unable to penetrate the salty water.
Suddenly, an unexpected movement startled the school of smelt. They scattered, their choreographed formation breaking apart. A moment later, an enormous blue whale swam by, its large body gracefully maneuvering through the water. If the fish had had more time to observe the huge creature, they would have noticed that this was no ordinary blue whale. On its side was a series of tattoos that swirled and spread.
The whale increased its speed as it headed toward some craggy coral. Just before it hit the rough coral wall, it shot upward, racing toward the surface. A moment later, it burst into the air. Up, up, up the enormous creature rose. The sun sparkled off the drops of water that fell from the whale as it hovered before dropping back down. But the whale never hit the water. Instead, it transformed into a giant hawk.
It was Maui!
The shape-shifting demigod let out a loud caw as he rocketed just above the ocean's surface. A trail of white water was left in his wake. The demigod didn't register the spray from below or the expanding clouds above. His hawk-like gaze was fixed on the fog bank straight ahead. Dense and impossibly thick, it seemed to grow with each passing moment. But Maui didn't slow. Instead, with another flap of his giant wings, he flew right into the fog bank and was instantly swallowed by the mist.
“ Chee Hoo! ”he cried.
There was a moment of silence, and then a single BOOM echoed over the waves. It was as if an enormous door had just been slammed shut. Shock waves rippled out from the fog.
And then the water stilled. The fog faded, leaving nothing but water for as far as the eye could see.
With his hook in hand, Maui stood inside the fog, watching as it swirled and shifted around him unnaturally, as if manipulated by some invisible hand—which was a possibility, Maui reasoned, since he was far beyond the realm of humans. Holding up his glowing hook like a lantern, he stepped forward. In front of him, the fog began to settle around what appeared to be a huge, pearl-like orb.
Maui's eyes narrowed as the light from the pearl illuminated the tattoos that covered his body. Each told a story from Maui's past. They were moments of heroism inked permanently on his skin as a reminder to all who met him who he was—and how much he had done for humans. Humans were, in fact, why he was here now, in this unknown realm of the gods looking at the pinkish-white ball in front of him. At least, he thought that might be why he was here. These missions to benefit humans didn't always come with clear instructions.
He thought about what he and Moana had been through. Racing over the waves, bringing the heart of Te Fiti back, facing Te Kā. He hadn't seen any of that coming. But had it been worth it? Totally. Plus it didn't hurt that he'd gotten his hook back at the end of it all.
Suddenly, from somewhere behind him, Maui heard flapping wings, the noise echoing through the fog. He shivered. The sound grew louder. It was everywhere and nowhere at once.
A bat flew past him, reminding him of where he was and the danger that could be lurking. He turned away from the pearl, slowly spinning in a circle, scanning the fog for any signs of a threat.
He straightened his shoulders, took a deep breath, and shouted . . .“Yoo-hoo?”The greeting came out a little higher-pitched than he had intended.
On his chest, Mini Maui, a tattoo that was a small image of himself, sprang to life. Mini Maui hit his own forehead as if to say,“That's your big greeting?”
Clearing his throat, Maui continued to address whatever was hiding in the fog.“I'm not here to cause trouble,”he announced in a deeper voice. He nodded. That was better.“Just a super-chiseled demigod passing through. Lot's changed since I've been gone, including me.”It was an understatement. Maui had been transformed. Not in the literal sense—he did that all the time. But meeting Moana had made him a better person—or, rather, a better demigod—which was why he now found himself in this realm of the gods that he'd sworn he would never return to, trying to get the attention of a demigoddess he'd hoped never to see again.
From somewhere in the fog came the sound of a woman's laughter. It echoed eerily throughout the chamber as if it came from every direction. Maui's head whipped around, trying to pinpoint the sound, but all he could see was a flash of a silhouette here, then there.
“Evolved, have we?”the female voice said.“Just like that?”
Maui frowned. He recognized that voice. It was Matangi, the purple-eyed powerful demigoddess he unfortunately needed to face.
“Well, a thousand years on Fish-Stink Island will get anyone to question their choices.”As he spoke, he swung his glowing hook around, hoping to reveal the demigoddess attached to the voice.“Now I'm all about doing the right thing. Ha!”Spotting movement, he lunged forward, swinging his hook. But it was just bats. They swirled around him, surrounding him like a tornado. Anger flared in him. He was growing tired of Matangi's tricks. He swung his hook faster and harder. The bats dispersed quickly, except one that had the unfortunate luck of being struck by the hook. The creature was jettisoned into the darkness, its squeak fading as it disappeared from sight.
“Enough games. My beef is with your boss, not his . . . weird gatekeeper. Which, to be clear, is you. Open the path and I'll be on my way,”Maui said.
From inside the mist, Matangi let out a long sigh.“Demigods,”she drawled, her eye roll evident in her tone.“Finally free and all you wanna do is pick another fight.”
Maui's thick eyebrows drew together.“Nalo started it.”
“And you'll finish it?”Matangi sneered.“Team up with the precious little human again?”
Maui clenched his fists but kept his face neutral. He needed to hide the fact that he considered Moana a friend. He had to protect her from the danger Matangi posed.“Team?”he repeated with a laugh.“The girl with the canoe and the goofy chicken? We weren't a team. I just used her to get my hook.”
On his chest, Mini Maui flicked him, his message clear: That's not true at all. Maui subtly shook his head and shot him his own silent message: Don't worry, I got this. Mini Maui didn't look convinced.
And neither was Matangi. She scoffed. The fog shifted and swirled, revealing the floor upon which Maui stood. It was covered by a massive petroglyph showing a shadowy god looming over the island of Motufetū.“Nalo is a god, Maui. Follow this path and he will destroy you. And then he'll destroy her, too.”
Maui's expression darkened.“This is between him and me,”he hissed.“Moana has nothing to do with it.”
It was true. He hadn't seen her since they had restored the heart of Te Fiti. Sure, he had hoped to surprise her. But things were obviously not going his way.
There was a beat as Maui's words echoed off the chamber. And then . . . chaos! Hundreds of bat wings flapped in the air, the sound deafening. Glowing purple eyes appeared through the fog. A moment later, Matangi materialized. She moved toward Maui, her purple eyes boring into him. He gulped as she approached. Matangi had always been a bit . . . well, creepy. And time had made her only more so.
A corner of her smile lifted cruelly as she reached out and ran a long fingernail over Maui's chest, her sharp talon lingering over his most recent tattoo—the one of Moana. As she looked at the black lines, she shook her head.“You made her a wayfinder, Maui. So now she has everything to do with it.”
Maui felt anger flood his body. He tightened his grip on his hook, which had started to glow again. His nostrils flared. He refused to let Moana be hurt or threatened. And it was clear that Matangi and the god she protected were not going to let him do things peacefully.
Fine, then. He would fight. Launching himself into the air, he pulled his hook back. At the same time, Matangi exploded into a hundred bats.
The battle was on.
