Wrath of Hades by Annie Rachel Cole Page A

back and tied with a leather cord at the nape of his neck. Raven frowned. He looked familiar.
    “Meritus Myers. She’s not here. I’ve checked the building and so have several others.” He flashed a smile at her.
    Raven paled. She took a couple of steps away from the man.
    “Are you okay?” he asked.
    He sounded genuinely concerned but Raven knew better. She knew it was his way of luring people into his trap. She wouldn’t fall for it, not like she almost did last time. “I’m onto your tricks. You may have the rest of them fooled, but not me. I know better. I know exactly who you are.”
    The man frowned slightly. “I think you have me mixed up with someone else.”
    Raven shook her head. “You’re not fooling me, Zeus. Or should I saw Uncle Zeus.” Raven tried to put some distance between them, but he matched every step she took.
    “I’m not Zeus.”
    “Right! What game are you trying to pull now?”
    “I’m not Zeus.” The man said again.
    “What’s your game now? Pretending to be the new principal? You won’t get away with it.” Raven glanced around. She could protect herself, but how was she going to protect everyone else.
    “Raven, my dear, there you are. I was wondering when you would get here. Did Ethan snap out of it and bring you?” Professor Snyder stopped in front of Raven. “Where’s Ethan?” he asked looking around.
    “I don’t know, but we’ve got bigger problems,” said Raven.
    “She thinks I’m Zeus,” said the handsome looking man.
    “Well, you do look like him,” said Professor Snyder. “And you act like him sometimes.”
    The man glared at the professor. “I’m nothing like him.”
    “I didn’t say you were. I said you looked like him and sometimes acted like him. It’s the truth. Nothing can be done about that.” Professor Snyder raised his coffee mug up. “I need coffee,” he said when he saw the mug.
    “Professor, what about him?” asked Raven. She looked from the professor to the Zeus look-a-like and back to the professor.
    “What about him?” The professor looked around. “No Ethan?”
    “No Ethan. He’s still acting like a pod person. What about him?” Raven gestured at the man who looked like Zeus.
    “I’m Lee Ryder, your new Principal.” He held out his hand to Raven. “And I’m your new defense teacher.”
    Raven just looked at him. “You look exactly like Zeus.”
    “Unfortunately, I get that a lot. I didn’t mean to scare you.” The smile he gave her looked just like the one Zeus had used before he realized she wasn’t giving him the key codes to Atlantis.
    Raven reluctantly shook his hand. “How is it you look like him?”
    “Why don’t we go into the office?” Professor Snyder took Raven’s arm and led her through the office doors. Lee Ryder followed closely behind the pair.
    The secretary behind the desk looked up from the computer screen and narrowed her eyes when she saw Raven. “Is everything okay, Mr. Ryder?”
    Lee Ryder gave the old woman a dazzling smile. “Everything’s just fine, Mrs. Robertson, just some loose ends to take care of. We’ll be in my office, please do not disturb us.”
    “She was in trouble the last time she came to school. Why don’t you just expel her and then we won’t have to deal with her and the problems she causes. I’ve also heard she’s leading some sort of gang. They’re up to no good I tell you. Mark my words. This one’s a bad apple. Causing problems just like her mother did,” said Mrs. Robertson as Raven and the others walked by her.
    Raven glanced at the old woman and for a brief second, she swore the woman’s eyes changed from the old woman eyes to a set of younger looking eyes.
    “Don’t worry. There’s no problem, just a schedule change I need to discuss with Miss Weir and the professor,” said Lee Ryder.
    “Are you sure about that? Maybe I should call the police and have her taken away just to be on the safe side. Ther e was an agent here a few weeks ago looking