Hey guys, sorry it's been a couple days since I updated, I have family visiting so I was doing stuff with them, I'm still going to try to update a lot over my break so don't worry. Also a self promo (sorry) I have started my demigod fanfic, it's called The Waking Abyss so if you want to check it out, go for it, I would be very grateful. (If you've already started reading it thanks). Now on with the real reason you are here, the next chapter of Orphaned!

WPOV

Wow, I managed to get Nico to make some friends, I am an amazing person. Now that Nico had agreed to come to the party I was really excited because I had been successful. The promise I had made to myself I managed to fulfill. I was walking to the bus after p.e., I had hoped Nico would stick around and walk with me but he hadn't, he must have rushed to get out of the locker room. He very clearly didn't want anyone to see him getting changed, I had seen him sneak off st the end of class, a few minutes before the bell rang, and he ran into the locker room, I had been about to follow when Coach Hedge looked directly at me.

"Why did you stop cupcake! We still have five minutes left of class! That means I can make you do stuff for another four minutes and fifty seconds!" He screamed at me. He always let us out of class ten seconds before the end of the day, this meant that we had to change quickly and get to our bus or we would have to walk.

"Coach, I don't feel good, can I go to the locker room please?" I said when he was done yelling at me.

"Oh, why didn't you say so, of course I'll let you go to the locker room, oh... wait... that's what a person would do if... they cared. Which I don't! Get a move on cupcake!" We had spent the last fifteen minutes running as fast as we can around the gym, I had stopped and he had started yelling at me.

I got to the bus and saw Nico chatting with Hazel, Ethan, Luke, and Kayla. They were all sitting in the very back of the bus, I went and sat next to Kayla since it was the only open seat in the back. The six of us talked for the entire ride until Ethan made a joke and I heard the most wonderful sound ever, Nico was laughing. His laugh was so perfect, it was hard to believe that he had had a difficult life. When he stopped laughing I felt like something was missing. The world felt a little sadder. I was determined that I would make him laugh more.

But the bus stopped and we all got up. We continued talking on the way home but Nico didn't laugh again, instead he talked, but he seemed kind of upset, he was spinning the skull ring, I don't know if he was nervous or what but he definitely didn't seem as happy as he had been on the bus, or at lunch earlier.

NPOV

We were all walking home and I remembered that my dad was a criminal, and that he was likely going to make us do stuff. If he was home we would have to commit crimes if he told us to, otherwise our friends were in danger, we were in danger. I had subconsciously started spinning my ring. I was snapped out of my thoughts by Will.

"Nico?! Are you ok, you were all happy at lunch and on the bus, but now you seem worried?" He asked. I couldn't tell him the truth, I had to create some lie to use.

"Um, I'm fine, I was thinking about what I was going to wear for the party, if I wanted to wear my usual black everything, or if I wanted to wear something else." I said while I looked over at Luke with the corner of my eye, he made a slight nod of approval, he obviously knew the real reason I wasn't as cheerful as before, and it wasn't because of thought.

"Do you own anything that isn't black?" Will asked jokingly.

"No, no I don't. I guess I really like the color black." I said, I had to force a smile, luckily it was a very good forced smile.

We all split up into our separate households, Will and Kayla went to their house, Hazel, Luke, and I went to our house, and Ethan went to his. Unfortunately when we got home, Hermes was home.

"Hello kids, I've got some things you need to do, if you want to keep your friends safe." He said with an evil smile. "This is going to be fun."

Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuun...

Sorry, I had to end it there, it was just so perfect. I know this was a short(ish) chapter but it's 2:00am, again, why am I always writing at two in the freaking morning?!

Anyway, thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed, I also hope you decide to go check out my new fic. I will put the summary here so that you can see if you want to read it.

Tartarus is pissed. Gaea was destroyed a couple weeks ago, now Tartarus wants revenge. The gods, major and minor, Greek and Roman, have all gone missing. It is up to Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter to rescue the gods and save the world, again. There will be new heroes and enemies, and old heroes and enemies, the world is at risk of being consumed by the abyss, because the abyss is waking.

THANKS FOR READING!