Three out of two Axis followers have problems with math.

-Old Erisite Joke

Say Your Prayers

Aqua's head hurt, and her head swam, her eyes unable to focus. She was in real pain, something her spells couldn't cure. She whimpered and forced down her sobs. Not even Kazuma could save her now.

"You should have studied," Uraraka muttered from behind her.

Aqua turned and glared at her friend. "I tried! But math doesn't make any sense!"

"Quiet down," Aizawa growled. "No talking during the test."

With a moan of anguish, Aqua turned back around, looking at her paper helplessly. She didn't even realize that her test wasn't like everyone elses. Her paper had what would be considered basic algebra at best on it, while everyone else had trigonometry. It didn't really matter, as to Aqua it all looked like so many squiggles on the page. The numbers floated around on the paper, and Aqua cocked her head to one side. Yes… it was making sense. She could see it now.

Happily, Aqua reached into her backpack and took out her colored pencils. She didn't notice Aizawa's raised eyebrow, she was too absorbed in her task. Yes, yes of course! It was all coming together, and the answers poured out of her as she hummed contentedly to herself, each stroke of her pencils delicate and precise. She finished, and held her paper up, grinning. It was perfect!

"Really, Aqua?" Uraraka sighed. "You're going to get in trouble again."

"Why? It's perfect! The numbers make sense now!" Aqua declared in satisfaction. She stood and skipped up to Aizawa's desk. She set the paper down atop it and smiled. "What do you think? Pretty good, huh?"

Slowly, Aizawa's jaw dropped, his eyes going wide. A tear sprang into his eye, and he sniffed and had to wipe it away. Aqua giggled. It was a really good one!

On Aqua's paper was a drawing of the Aurora Borealis, the waves of light playing across the patterns the numbers had told her about. Or at least, the patterns the numbers had inspired in her head. She had changed some of the colors from what the numbers were if she thought it would work better that way. And she'd added a picture of herself and Eris sitting below the Aurora, smiling and chatting as they shared a mug of hot chocolate. It was a trip they'd taken back when Aqua had first recruited the Junior Goddess, and they'd visited the Northern Lights of Belzerg to celebrate.

"This is…" Aizawa said, then he shook his head and blinked. The awe and wonder vanished, replaced by anger and irritation. "Totally worthless! This has nothing to do with the test you were given!"

"What? Of course it does! See, all the numbers on the paper are colors! And they weave together in the sky! Plus, the letters remind me of Eris, because she's really good at writing scripture and stuff! I always found that boring. Also, she's good at math too, because she likes money, so I included her!" Aqua explained. "Don't you think it's pretty good?"

"You were given a math test, Aqua. You turned in drawing," Aizawa said, carefully taking the paper and tucking it away in a page protector before storing that in a binder. "You fail."

"What!? But don't you like the drawing!? I can do another one! Or, I have some clay! I could do a sculpture too," Aqua offered. "It would even be a nice one this time, since you're such an amazing teacher."

"No. There will be consequence of this, mark me, we-"

The door burst open and a gasping Iida hurried in, tears streaming down his face. He'd been called out earlier, but Aqua hadn't really paid much attention since he was one of Rista's and not her's. "Aqua, are you truly a goddess?!"

"Huh? Well, I mean, not really, anymore," Aqua said, looking down and trying hard not to feel sad. It had been a few days since she started up her Idol Cult, but she still had to pee. It was OK, she had her friends, and that was what mattered.

Iida grabbed her hands, his voice raw with emotion. "But, you still have your powers, right?"

"Um, yeah, mostly," Aqua agreed, frowning. She reached out, wiping the tears from Iida's face. "What's wrong? You left so fast earlier."

"My brother. He's dead. The hero killer killed him, and Uwabami. He… he didn't die before. It's my fault! Please, you have to help me!" Iida pleaded, snot and tears coating his face. "I'll convert to your faith, I'll do whatever you want me to, just please, you have to-"

"Iida," Aqua said gently, taking his arm and lifting him to his feet. "You're my friend. If I can help, I will. I promise. Where is he?"

"Tensei, he… he died in Hosu, I-"

"Midoriya!" Aqua called, turning around to find her champion on his feet. "You know where that is?"

"I can get the address from Tenya. You need me to take you?" Midoriya asked.

"Yes, let's go! Sorry, Mr. Aizawa, you can fail me later! I have a job to do," Aqua declared, and ran out of the room with Midoriya.

"Jump on, it'll be faster!" Midoriya ordered, and Aqua leapt onto his back, wrapping her arms and legs about him, a wide grin on her face. She was going to be a goddess again!

While he was technically breaking the law, Izuku didn't really care. Iida was a good friend, and Ingenium was a great hero. If they could save him, they had to do it. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, the wind whipping in his face as Aqua clung to him. He navigated using his phone, taking the most direct route to Hosu. It only took twenty minutes, but felt like an eternity. If he hadn't had Aqua to heal him and bless him, it would have taken much longer. But with her around, he could essentially go forever.

It wasn't hard to spot the ambulances, police cars, and news vans. Izuku jumped right into the middle of it all, causing an outcry from the police.

"A couple of students!? What are you doing here?!" a police sergeant demanded.

"I am the Goddess, Aqua. I am here to aid these poor fallen heroes," Aqua proclaimed.

"Goddess? What nonsense is-"

"Is this him?" Aqua demanded, pushing her way through the EMT's to the two body bags.

"Girl, get out of here! This is a crime scene!" another officer barked.

"No. Let them through."

Izuku turned to see Sir Nighteye standing there, watching Izuku and Aqua.

"What? But they're students! I don't care who the girl says she is, we-"

"I insist," Sir Nighteye said gravely. "I have foreseen this."

Slowly, the cops backed away, letting Aqua unzip the two body bags. Izuku felt sick to see them, but it was what he expected.

"Taken before your time," Aqua said quietly, stroking the cheeks of Uwabami and Tensei Iida. "The threads of your fate have been cut by an alien force. This isn't right."

"What is she doing?" a reporter demanded.

Aqua turned to Izuku. "Midoriya, I need you to pray. I don't know if my reserves are enough for a double resurrection. And… and I'm going to have to interface with the local deity. This might take a while."

"Right. I'll text the others and let them know. Would an offering help?" Izuku asked.

Aqua nodded. "Yes, thank you." She turned back, resting her hands on the fallen heroes heads, and began to chant under her breath.

"Alcohol!" Izuku cried, turning to the people around him. "Does anyone have alcohol?"

"Er, I've got some bottles of beer," a passerby said, lifting a bag from a convenience store.

"Perfect, thanks," Izuku said, taking the bag. He took out the bottles and hurried over, placing them by Aqua. She reached out and touched them, and they vanished in blue sparks. Izuku began to pray, hard. For Tensei, and Tenya, and for Aqua. He'd not really done that before, but somehow, it felt right.

"The hell kinda a quirk is that?" someone muttered.

"Oh!" Aqua suddenly gasped. "I- yes, this is an emergency!" Her eyes were blank, and she seemed to be looking at nothing. "King Kai? Um, no, I've never heard of you. But listen, my friend's brother, and a hero have fallen. I need your permission to return them to life. Yes, I can cast the spell. Ok. Great! Thanks!"

Aqua suddenly stood, raising her hand, and her staff appeared in it. She twirled it once, then pointed it at the two dead heroes. "In the name of the Goddess, Aqua, I call thee back to life! Resurrection!"

There was a stir of mutters through the crowd, and Izuku tensed.

And then Tensei Iida sat up, groaning and rubbing his head. "What...what just happened? I...where am I?"

"The Hero Killer!" Uwabami gasped, jerking upright. "I...what? Where…"

Beldem erupted around them. Some people were screaming in panic, others bellowing in astonishment. Aqua didn't seem to notice, as she wavered on her feet. Izuku hurried to her side, catching her as she fell.

"Sorry. Didn't… Didn't have enough prayers for that," Aqua mumbled. "Sleepy now. G'night."

"Who is that girl?" the sergeant from before demanded, his eyes wide as Izuku picked up Aqua, cradling her snoring body in his arms. She felt surprisingly light now, as if something had gone out of her.

"She is the goddess, Aqua," Izuku said simply.

"That can't be! A goddess? But-"

"I'm sorry, we have to get back to class," Izuku said. "If you'll excuse me."

Everyone took half a step back from Izuku, and he launched himself into the sky. He wondered just how much trouble he was going to be in.

If he was being honest with himself, All Might hated meetings. He'd hated them ever since he was young. He'd always wanted to be out in the world, DOING something. Usually, that was helping people. Not even hero work necessarily, All Might would stop to help fix a kid's bike or help an old woman carry her groceries home if he had the time. Honestly some of the fondest memories he had were back when he'd been a no-namer in the United States, just helping his local community with everything from blood drives to lost puppies.

When he wasn't helping others, All Might did have two hobbies. One was working out. He'd been religious about it his entire life, always honing his body. He enjoyed the feel of it, plain and simple. To push himself to his limits and try to go beyond them was a thrilling feeling. The other was martial arts training.

Actually, when he bothered to consider it, All Might didn't really have any hobbies. No time for it when you were training to become the best and defeat the world's greatest villain, and no time for fun when you were at the top. Someone always needed help. It was exhausting though. Even after Aqua's healing, All Might was wearing down. How much longer could he keep this up? He didn't know, but he was game to find out. At least he could relax when he visited Wiz. She was always happy to help him. No one else ever really offered.

Though just because he was wearing down did not mean he was enjoying meetings any more than he always had, which was to say, not at all. There was a long list of things All Might enjoyed more than sitting down and talking about something instead of doing something about it, and unclogging toilets was only about halfway down.

"Look," All Might said, after the Prime Minister finally wound down in his long speech. "You know my opinion. She really is a goddess. I know some of us here didn't believe it at first, but she's literally raised two people from the dead now. I hardly think there's any further room for doubt."

"That's impossible," Endeavor growled. Why was he here again? Oh, right, All Might had been planning on retiring. Maybe he should still do that. Young Midoriya was coming along nicely. But there was the threat of this Lord of the Tomb. Maybe after that. Who knew? All Might might find a hobby after all. "There is no god, and it's certainly not a ditzy highschooler."

The debate started back up, and All Might reached into his pocket and pulled out some of the snacks Wiz had given him. A remarkable woman, truly a pioneer in the arena of junk food. Normally All Might wasn't much of one for empty calories, but this spinach flavored soda was amazing, plus it was fortified with iron. Since Wiz was the only one who sold it, that gave him an excuse to visit her and her charming little shop more often.

"Putting aside all that," All Might said once everyone had gotten in their two cents, which only took another forty minutes of valuable time, "The debate as to whether or not she really is a goddess can be considered moot for now: The real question is what do we do right now? Do we let her remain as a student at UA, or are we going to try something else?"

"We've got to keep her occupied. Nezu, that's your department," the Prime Minister said. "How was it that she found time in the middle of the school day to just wander off to perform miracles?"

"As you know, Tensei Iida was one of the raised heroes. His brother is a classmate of Aqua's. It seems he asked her to intervene, and she tapped another of her classmates to transport her," Nezu explained. "We're punishing them both for departing in the middle of the school day, of course."

That "Punishment" consisted of a very minor public slap on the wrist in the form of a detention with All Might, something both Midoriya and Aqua seemed to enjoy, and quite a bit of private congratulations.

"Well, good, public use of quirks like that is still forbidden," The Prime Minister blustered. "Perhaps we should take more extreme measures."

"I will remind you that the doom I foresee is still rapidly approaching," Sir Nighteye put in. "Everyone who's future I read for more than a few weeks ahead is either dead or goes through hell. Except for those who have come into contact with Aqua."

That brought silence to the table for a time. All Might even had to stop munching on his lychee and peppermint flavored jerky. It really was amazing how the flavors contrasted. He'd have to stop by Wiz's store to buy more. Plus, then they could talk and have some tea. That was always relaxing.

"Then you still say this 'Lord of the Tomb' is real?" the Prime Minister demanded.

"Very real. I have even seen him, I think," Sir Nighteye said quietly. "A skeletal monstrosity, wielding powers greater than even All For One. He must be stopped, and Aqua is our best bet."

"Should we encourage her religion?" someone asked.

"No," the Prime Minster said. "That's something that could disrupt our fragile society. State Religion hasn't been a major part of Japanese culture in centuries. Reintroducing it now could have large scale ramifications we can't even begin to comprehend. Keep it suppressed."

All Might sighed, but nodded his agreement, his hand unconsciously going to the Waterwheel icon he now wore around his neck. Personally, he had faith in Aqua. Even if no one else did.

That was not, of course, the case. There were quite a few new Axis Converts that day, as the faith spread from UA to those who had witnessed Aqua's Second Miracle, as it would later become known. Not everyone who had seen Aqua raise Ingenium and Uwabami believed. But a few did. They told others, and won more converts.

They, however, weren't the most important converts. Not the heroes, nor doctors, nor police, not even the reporters or other adults. None of them would become Aqua's most devoted and influential new follower.

No, the newest convert to The Axis faith, and by far the most important, believed because someone brought her a toy. Eris had been selling the nendoroids from Wiz's store, and a shady customer had rushed in that afternoon and bought several, saying he just needed "something a little girl would like." He'd run off, the nendoroids in a bag, and hurried back to his charge, who was living underground.

"Look, Eri, see? Toys! You like toys, right? All kids do," the man said, shoving the nendoroids at the weeping child. "Now just stop crying before the boss sees!"

Eri had in fact stopped blubbering, and opened up the nendoroids. She smiled to see them, and nodded. "Ok. I… I'll be good."

"Great, super. Now don't go anywhere, OK? They're coming for you soon and you'd better behave, or I'm throwing the toys away!" the man threatened.

Eri had flinched, but when they'd come to take her to the Awful Place and put the needles in her arm, she'd tried to be good.

"You're behaving well today, Eri," daddy had said as he scratched at his mask. He wasn't Eri's real daddy. Her real daddy was gone. Her new one was scary. They called him Overhaul. Eri just wished she could have mommy back.

"Yes, daddy," Eri had whimpered as they unhooked her from the machines that hurt her.

"Good work. Nice to see someone knows how to do their job," daddy had told the man who had given Eri her toys.

"T-thanks, boss. Um, I'll make sure she's ready when you need her again."

"You had best. I will be… disappointed… otherwise," daddy had said. But he'd kept his gloves on, so there was no blood.

Eri was taken back to her room, where she lay on her bed, in pain and exhausted. She'd picked up one of her toys, and clutched it close.

"I am Aqua!" the toy had said.

"Hi, Aqua," Eri whispered. "You look pretty."

"No matter who you are, be you lolicon, or NEET, or something else, know that I, Aqua, love you!"

"T-thank you, Aqua," Eri sniffed, nestling the toy against her cheek. She was half delirious, but even having this toy say it loved her made Eri feel a little better. No one had said that in a very long time.

"Pray to the Goddess, and Aqua shall hear!"

"Really?" Eri asked.

"I am Aqua!"

"I suppose. I pray...I pray that I don't have to hurt any more, Aqua," Eri whispered. "I pray that I could have mommy back. And a real daddy. I just… I want someone to love me, Aqua. As much as I love you."

And then Eri had gotten up, and poured her Aqua doll some juice, and served it in a little plastic tea cup, and told it all her hopes, and fears, and dreams. It was a real prayer, a child's prayer. A wish for something more, a cry for help.

And not far away, lying in a tangle of bedsheets, the goddess stirred. Her blue eyes opened very, very wide.

Someone had just given her prayers and offerings.

And they needed her help.