Hika slides down the shell easily, although she moves a bit slow. She doesn't want to make Moana uncomfortable. The sand of the tiny beach is warm, soaking in the sunlight. Somehow, no one other than Hika's family knows of this perfect little slice of paradise. Hika turns back to Moana.

"I'll see you later, alright? You can do what you want for now."

Hika walks away from the sea towards the trees lining the edges of the beach. She can hear shifting sand behind her so she turns around. Moana is shuffling across the sand towards Hika, following her across the beach.

"Are you following me?" Surprisingly, Moana nods. "If you want to come with me, you'll have to be smaller so I can carry you."

She shrinks and becomes a baby turtle. Hika places her hand in the sand with the palm facing up. Moana crawls into it, fitting almost perfectly into the center of Hika's hand. Hika moves her hand up to her chest and Moana crawls into Hika's breast pocket. Hika starts walking through the trees until she eventually reaches a public beach. She shifts her hair to cover Moana's pocket as she starts walking across the sand. Dodging the dips in the sand from running feet, Hika traverses the distance between the treeline and the beach parking lot. Following the road, she walks into the nearest town and over to a tour bus kiosk.

"Could I please have a ticket to the Hawai'i Volcanoes National park?"

"Twenty dollars, please."

Hika hands the clerk the money and he hands her a ticket in return. She goes to sit at the bus stop until the tourist bus arrives. The bus pulls up to the curb after a few minutes and Hika goes to step aboard. The driver looks at her quizzically.

"You don't look like a tourist, why are you here?"

Hika smiles and responds quietly. "I'm here to speak to the akua wahine." He pales, probably worrying about the results of Pele's temper. "Don't worry, I'll try to keep her from blowing up Kilauea."

He pales further, more than Hika had ever thought someone could. She smiles reassuringly and moves to the back of the bus. Tourists gradually pour into the bus and take up the remaining seats. With a groan, the bus starts to move. Hika slips her hand into her pocket, as if she was going to take it out. Instead of removing something from her pocket, she forms a tiny star, pulling the starlight from her pendant. She pulls her hand out with the star clutched within.

For the rest of the ride, Hika amuses herself by playing with the star like she would with a ball. The bus stops in the parking lot and Hika steps out after all the tourists. Their skin has already begun to shine with sweat from the heat, but Hika smiles, feeling like she's been wrapped in a lovely, warm blanket. The bus driver steps out.

"Hello, everyone! I'm your tour guide for today! First, we'll be checking out the lava tubes!"

He glances over at Hika and sees her skin. It is proof that the heat doesn't affect her, unbeaded by sweat. He whispers, his voice tinged with fear.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Hi'ilani."

"Was your family descended from a chief?"

Hika smiles. "You could say that. Do the gods count?"

He pales, remembering that Hika had said she was coming to talk to Pele. She turns away, heading towards the peak of the volcano. She calls out when she reaches the crater, her voice echoing down into it.

"'Anakē! Open the passage!"

There is a rumble from behind her and she turns to see a hole in the mountain opening up to her left. Hika walks over to it and follows the spiraling path down into the volcano until she reaches the chamber at the bottom. Once she sees Hika, Pele closes the opening and the chamber plunges into darkness for an instant before the torches encircling the room flare up with light. The torches bathe the chamber in a soft, flickering, golden glow.

"Hi'ilani! You haven't come to visit me for weeks! Shame on you!"

Hika winces. "I'm sorry, 'Anakē, school kept me busy."

"What did you learn about?"

"Mō'īwahine Lili'uokalani in history, derivatives and other annoying math stuff in calculus, and I had to write a five-page essay in English. That was the easiest assignment."

"What were you writing about?"

"Hawai'ian mythology."

Pele laughs. "Yes, I can see how that would be easy to write about. Now, would you like some cocoa?"

Hika nods gratefully and steps over to the armchairs and couch sitting in the center of the small chamber. She sinks into one of the armchairs and waits. Pele returns a moment later, two steaming mugs in her hands. She hands one to Hika, who takes a sip of the rich liquid. Pele sits on the couch, her body turned towards Hika.

"So, what did you actually come to visit me for?"

"Makuahine has given me permission to go travel the world and meet the 'ohana holo'oko'a. Her condition is that I have to wait for the 'ohana here to see me off."

Pele raises an eyebrow. "And just why do you look so nervous?"

Indeed, both the expression on Hika's face and the tense positioning of her body have betrayed her. "Because if you get angry, your temper could cause you to set off Kilauea again."

"Well, I'm not angry, so you can relax now."

Hika relaxes slowly, leaning back into the marshmallowy chair.

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'Akolu = 3, when counting
akua wahine = goddess
'Anakē =aunt
Mō'īwahine = Queen
makuahine = mother
'ohana holo'oko'a = extended family
'ohana = family

What do you think of Kilauea so far? What about Pele? What do you think is going to happen next? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out