Leo- Prologue

Ignatius brushed his dark hair out of his face with his hand and gulped. The small office beckoned to him, but his feet refused to move. His eyes darted left and right around the vacant hallway, hoping no one would see him, even though there was no one there and he didn't know them anyway. The therapist was the last place he wanted to be seen. Reluctantly, and with a frown on his face, he grabbed the doorknob and turned.

What he saw was not what he'd expected. The furniture was nearly pristine., but behind a small white desk sat a very peculiar yet very attractive woman. She couldn't have been any older than him. Great, he thought. He went to a shrink in the middle of nowhere for a serious problem and hoping to get some help, and he ended up with someone who had no experience. Her hair was in a ponytail that hung down by her stomach. Her light brown curls caught the light like spun gold. She wore bright, feathery earrings that came down to her shoulders. Her suit was bright green, almost neon, and her shoes were black. Her eyes were loaded with makeup, making her look almost like a cartoon. And her eyes! They were the most amazing shade of brown he'd ever seen. It was as if someone had dipped them in copper. To him, she looked like the personification of insanity.

"Do I have the right room?" Ignatius inquired.

"Are you Mister Trot?" she asked with a voice that sounded like a choir of angels.

"Yes, Miss? I seem to have forgotten your name."

"Nia." She pointed to a nameplate on her desk. "Well, there are only a few rooms in this building sir: one being the restroom, one the lobby, one the electrical room, and the last being my office, so I think it's a safe assumption to make that you're in the right room. "

"Thank you. If I may ask, how do you run your business out of such a small building? It being on the outskirts, I wouldn't think very many people would come."

"Well, that's the beauty of it. People think I'm good, they spread the word, and their friends come because they think it's quaint. Very good strategy actually, especially outside San Francisco. If this building were near a small town however, I could see how problematic it could be. But I run a fairly good business with a good amount of clients, so I'm not worried." She smiled.

"I require your services." he said calmly.

She laughed sweetly. "Yes, I think we've established that much." She smiled at him and stood up., walking over to two gray armchairs facing each other. "Please sit down, sir." Ignatius took a seat in the armchair closest to the window. "So, I understand you need my services. Now all that remains is for me to ask why.""" She came back to her desk and picked up a clipboard and a pen.

"Well," he said, putting his head in his hand. "I've been through a lot lately, and I'm beginning to feel as if I'm going insane."

Ms. Nia came over to Ignatius and got down so that even with his head in his hand, he could see her face. "Ignatius Trot, I specialize in insanity." She stood up again, and as she did, Ignatius noticed her right sleeve was slightly pulled back, and he saw what he though was a tattoo. It was a black spiral about two inches wide with an "M" where the spiral either begun or ended. Ignatius couldn't tell which. He stared blankly at the tattoo until she spoke again. "I see you looking at my tattoo," she said in her beautiful English accent. "Yes. It is a constant and painful reminder of who I am. Of my family." She quickly pulled her sleeve back down and sat in the chair facing Ignatius. The chairs were so close their knees almost touched. "So, what do you really want to chat about?"

"You see, I had a twin brother. He was my best friend. I left on vacation last month, to Greece, and when I came back, he was dead, along with his wife. They were killed by someone, but no one knows who the killer is."

"So young...You are only twenty-four years old. And a middle school teacher. That must have been awful to endure right at the beginning of Summer."

"Of course it was! And my students aren't going to help a bit when school resumes. I hate teenagers!"

"Ah, yes! Progress. Tell me more. Get your feelings out!" So the conversations continued like this until, eventually the appointment was over, which Ignatius was very thankful for.

"Thank you, Miss Nia. You've made me feel a whole lot better."

Ms. Nia smiled. "Will you require my services again soon?"

"'Will he require your services,'" a man asked from the doorway. He was somewhere in his twenties, and he had silver hair. But not like and old man's hair. It looked like he had long, microscopic razor blades jutting out of his scalp. His hair was metallic- looking. His eyes were blue, but not just any blue. They were deep and strong and looked like a few pieces of the sky had fallen into his eyes. He came up by Ms. Nia and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Now don't tell me you're cheating on me."

"Thank you. i think I should be getting home now.' Ignatius stared at the couple, a little jealous of the man and very disgusted. He slowly walked out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. He was just outside the door when he tripped and fell. Obviously no one heard, because no one seemed to move in the room. His phone, mp3 player, and wallet fell out of his pockets. He scrambled to pick them up quietly, not wanting to interrupt the couple any longer.

"This is the last night I will be human, Mania. It has to be tonight." Ignatius stopped for a moment and listened. They didn't seem to notice he was right outside, and if they did, they didn't care. He peered in the slightly- open door. He peered inside, half- expecting to see something strange, but instead he saw Ms. Nia and her boyfriend, casually having a conversation in the armchairs.

"Alec, to do what you are proposing, to...elope, would mean to break the vows. Vows we swore to keep. I will go before the Olympian council and see what can be done." Her brow was furrowed as if she were angry.

"We don't have time!' My transformation is tonight, July the twenty- third, and I won't be in this form for another two years. At midnight, I will return to my original form."

"Fine, Alec. You will get what you want. I will spend your final hours of your human form with you." Alec smiled and exposed his teeth. They were sharp and big. "But you know what this means to me. You know what this tattoo means to me." She pulled her sleeve back, again revealing her tattoo. She held her right wrist with her left hand and sighed. "You know what this means to me." She touched her thumb to her tattooed wrist and the second the contact was made, her beautiful brown eyes ceased to be just eyes. They were sockets filled with light. They were bright as stars and cast odd shadows around the room.

Outside the room, Ignatius couldn't help but gasp. Ms. Nia's eyes returned to normal and she glared at him with such hate, he was sure she was going to kill him. "Ignatius Raymond Trot, do you think it wise to intrude on a goddess? Especially the goddess of insanity? I could lift all the bad emotions from you and make you the happiest you've ever been by removing the insanity. Likewise, I could torture you and make you go completely insane without lifting a finger." Ignatius's soft blue eyes stared, terrified at the woman/ goddess in front of him. "But luckily for you, I'm feeling generous today. I only have two words for you." Ignatius grabbed the rest of his things quickly and stood up, not daring to make any sudden moves. "GET OUT!!!"

Ignatius ran as fast as he could through the hall, got outside the building, and jumped in his car, stepping on the gas pedal as he started it up. And he didn't look back.