Annabeth's little step-brothers are born in the middle of winter. Early one morning, while the moon is still shining bright in the dark sky, her father wakes her up, telling her to put on her coat and galoshes. She's groggy and confused, but he's already left her bedroom, so she does what he says. Annabeth might only be seven, but she's very good at zipping up her coat on her own; her galoshes don't have shoelaces, but even if they did, she'd be able to tie them by herself.

She waits on the bench in the mudroom for a few minutes, kicking her heels against the white wood. Her father and step-mother appear in the doorway, the former supporting the latter, and the two of them wobble down the five steps that lead to the garage. Annabeth has a thought to grab her travel Lego kit, but her step-mother lets out a high-pitched shriek, causing her father to snap at her to get in the car.

The drive to the hospital is tense. Annabeth knows exactly what's happening: the small people in her step-mother's protruding stomach are ready to come out. What she doesn't understand is why the woman can't breathe properly and refuses to let go of her father's hand. Annabeth has learned over the last two years when to ask to change the radio station and when not to. This car ride definitely falls in the second category. As a result, she spends the entire twenty minutes listening to a mixture of hyperventilation and ACDC.

Once they're inside the hospital, everything happens extremely quickly. Her step-mother is put in a wheelchair and rolled out of sight; she and her father are spoken to by a receptionist before being led by a nurse to an extremely white bedroom; her step-mother screams some more, and then some doctors come in, yelling long words and telling her to push; Annabeth is sent into the hall; more screaming and beeping and long words; her step-mother is rolled out of the bedroom, down the hall, and out of sight again (except this time she's on a bed and her father is crying and Annabeth isn't allowed to go with them); the nurse from before takes her to the waiting room; she plays with the Legos there for a while, but they aren't as nice as the ones at home – some of these have bite marks and are missing connector pieces; the nurse takes her to a new bedroom on a different floor that is just as white as the previous one; her father holds her hand and leads her to the bed and her step-mother is there and so are two babies and they're both asleep and wearing tiny hats and have tiny hands and tiny feet but big heads and –

"They look like aliens."

Annabeth would know. She watches Star Trek on the weekends. Her step-mother glares at her, and Annabeth doesn't mention the babies' appearance anymore. Another thing she's learned over the last two years is how to tell when her step-mother is super angry. And though she may look exhausted and paler than usual, Annabeth has no doubt that she wouldn't refrain from yelling at her in such a public place.

While looking at the strange little babies, she notices their half-heart necklaces. They're similar to her own, but different enough to not be exact matches. Annabeth's necklace is silver and very, very shiny. It always catches the light and projects reflections onto the walls. Baby #1's necklace is silver, too, but stamped with a strange texture. Baby #2's necklace is gold – it's not shiny or textured or anything, really. Annabeth leans forward to point at one of the necklaces, asking, "Hey! Why do they have necklaces like mine?" but she slips, and accidentally pokes the baby in the cheek. He begins to cry hysterically, waking up the other one, and soon her dad is sending her into the hall while her step-mother calls her a bunch of mean names.

(Her step-mother and new step-brothers can't come home right away, but Annabeth and her dad get to sleep in their own beds. In the car, she doesn't ask to change the radio station. Instead, she asks why the babies have necklaces like hers. Her dad actually pulls the car over to the side of the road before turning around to face her.

"Everyone in the world has a necklace, Annabeth," he tells her, pulling a black half-heart necklace from below his shirt. "And each necklace only has one match. That's how we know who we're supposed to be with."

Annabeth looks down at her own necklace, her mind full of questions. What if your match lives on another continent? What if your match dies? What if you don't want to be with your match? What if you want to be with someone other than your match? Struck with what might be the most important question of all, Annabeth looks up and at her father.

"Dad? Does your necklace match Mom's or Julie's?"

He never answers).

Annabeth runs away from her old family and winds up finding a new one. Luke and Thalia aren't grown-ups, but they take better care of her than anyone else ever has. They don't yell at her, either.

One evening, when all three of them are bundled up in one sleeping bag that isn't nearly large enough, Annabeth asks Luke about his necklace. She's sort of become obsessed with them, her eyes searching for one on every person she passes. Thalia's is a pretty rose gold colour, and she wears it like a choker. Luke, on the other hand, hides his. Annabeth sometimes catches glimpses of the delicate chain around his neck, but she has yet to see the charm itself. It bothers her, and she doesn't know why.

"Luke," she whispers, careful not to wake up Thalia on the other side of her. "Why do you hide your necklace?"

He's silent for a few minutes, and Annabeth wonders if she's made him angry. Unlike with her step-mother, Luke and Thalia don't vocalize their anger towards her. It's simultaneously relieving and unsettling, not knowing whether or not she's done something wrong. She decides to leave the topic alone and go to sleep. If she weren't curled up into his side, she wouldn't have heard Luke's response.

"All necklaces do is bring pain."

After Thalia dies, Annabeth starts hiding her necklace, too.

Her brother Malcolm has a necklace that matches her own. (Or, at least she thinks it does. She's never actually tried to connect them). It's absolutely terrifying, and she wonders if the gods are laughing at her up on Mount Olympus. Poor little Annabeth Chase, destined to be with her brother forever and ever.

She doesn't dare talk to Luke about it. Luke absolutely refuses to talk about necklaces – ever. Sometimes she wishes Thalia were still here. Thalia would march right up to Malcolm, Annabeth's hand in her own, and connect their necklaces together without an explanation. Annabeth isn't scared of much, but she's never been as brave as Thalia.

After archery practice one day, Annabeth calls Malcolm's name. He smiles when he sees her, and his eyes crinkle behind his glasses. She's been at camp longer than he has, but he's three and a half years older. She's not quite sure how to go about asking him about his necklace. Taking a deep breath and thinking about Thalia, she blurts out: "Can I see your necklace?"

He's obviously confused, but complies. It's silver and very, very shiny. It catches the light and projects reflections onto the walls.

"I – uh – I think we match?" Annabeth pulls her own necklace from below her shirt. It's the first time she's shown anyone her half-heart since Thalia died. Part of her hopes Malcolm really is her match so she doesn't feel so vulnerable letting someone see it.

Malcolm steps closer and begins to laugh. Insulted, Annabeth tries to back away, but he grabs her wrist and stops her. With his necklace in one hand, he reaches for hers with the other, and connects them. (Or, at least tries to). They don't fit.

"They've got different edges," he says between chuckles. "See?"

She does see. The edge of his necklace has five points that jut out, while hers only has three. Malcolm ruffles her hair and runs back towards their cabin. Annabeth feels as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders and goes to sit by Thalia's tree.

(Later, she asks him not to mention what happened – not because she's embarrassed, but because she doesn't want anyone else to know what her necklace looks like. Malcolm, being as kind and understanding as he is, promises to never tell a soul).

Percy Jackson is a reckless and impulsive idiot. He breaks rules, doesn't think before he acts, and always seems to have his foot in his mouth. And to top it all off, he wears his necklace on his wrist like a bracelet. It makes Annabeth so angry. Doesn't he know better than to show his half-heart to the world?

"My mom thought I'd hurt myself with it around my neck," he'd explain whenever questioned about it. Annabeth doesn't doubt that it's a true statement – she's known both Percy and his mother for long enough to completely understand her rationale. That dumb boy would have choked on his pendant within his first few hours of life. What she can't wrap her head around, however, is why he hasn't taken it from his wrist, why he keeps it constantly visible.

Percy's necklace is silver and very, very shiny. It catches the light and projects reflections onto the walls. Though, after the incident with Malcolm, Annabeth has learned not to get worked up over necklaces that bear similarities to her own. Many people she's come across have a shiny silver half-heart, and it's highly unlikely that any of them are going to be her match.

They're slow dancing on Mount Olympus, their heads so close that their ears are practically touching. Percy's fingertips rest lightly on her waist, causing her skin to tingle. She closes her eyes and breathes in his distinctive scent of salt water.

"Annabeth," he whispers. "Why don't you let anyone see your necklace?"

Annabeth tenses for a moment before backing away from Percy – but only slightly. She's still close enough to feel his breath on her face. She reaches for his wrist, letting her fingers trace the cool metal of his half-heart. She looks at it, but doesn't really see it. After a moment or two, she looks into his eyes and whispers back: "All necklaces do is bring pain."

Luke knocks on her door one afternoon. Her father and step-mother have taken her step-brothers to the mall to pick out a new toy since the dog chewed up an old one. (The dog also chewed up one of Annabeth's architecture books, but she knows not to expect a new copy). She's in the middle of making herself a sandwich to eat while she edits a design on the desktop computer. Her step-mother would yell at her for eating over the keyboard, but Annabeth can't waste any time – she never gets to use the computer when the boys are home, and they'll only be out of the house for so long. Just as she sits in swivel chair, someone knocks on the door – loudly.

She marches to the door with the full intent of snapping at whoever is interrupting her lunch, regardless of whether it's a Girl Scout or someone trying to convert her to another religion. Annabeth is absolutely shocked when she swings the door open and comes face to face with Luke.

He looks terrible. (Though even when he looks terrible he still looks absolutely beautiful).

"What are you doing here?" she asks.

Luke doesn't say anything. He looks like he wants to – and oh how Annabeth wants him to – but after a few moments of silence, he simply reaches into his pocket and pulls something out. It's clenched in his fist, hidden from sight, and Annabeth's hand immediately goes to her knife in her pocket. She might love Luke, but she's learned not to trust him.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he says, sounding absolutely wrecked at the thought of it. "Give me your hand."

She doesn't.

"Please."

She does.

He takes her palm in his empty hand and runs his thumb along it. Then he drops the token into it, closing her fingers around the cool, metal object. Annabeth watches him the entire time. Even as he descends the porch steps and walks down the street, Annabeth watches him. Only after he's past the horizon does she open her hand and see what he gave her.

Annabeth nearly chokes. It's a necklace – his necklace, it must be. It's a pretty rose gold colour, and could very easily be worn as a choker. It's a necklace – and it's Thalia's match.

Annabeth, Percy, and the awful red-headed girl are in the Labyrinth. She's so unbelievably mad at Percy – she's never been this angry with anyone before in her life. He sacrificed himself to save her and she's angry at him for it; he spent two weeks with a beautiful goddess on an island paradise and she's angry at him for it; he brought a girl he's obviously in to on their quest and she's angry at him for it. (She's so unbelievably in love with Percy – she's never cared for anyone like this before in her life. He sacrificed himself to save her and she loves him for it; he spent two weeks with a beautiful goddess on an island paradise and still came home to her and she loves him for it; he brought a girl he's obviously in to on their quest only after making sure she was okay with it and she loves him for it).

The other two are sleeping, but if Annabeth is honest with herself, she's completely terrified that if she closes her eyes, Percy will disappear again – except this time, he won't come back. She's fine with staying awake, though; it's not like she hasn't been sleep deprived before. Besides, Percy is right next to her, and she can hear his breathing, which is strangely calming.

She also can't help but notice that Rachel Elizabeth Dare's necklace looks a hell of a lot like Percy's. It's silver and very, very shiny. It catches the light and projects reflections onto the walls. In a moment of insanity, Annabeth crawls towards the other girl and inspects her half-heart. It has four jagged edges. She's never paid much attention to Percy's before, but suddenly she has to know.

Moving back to her original perch, Annabeth lays down and carefully takes his half-heart between two fingers. It has three jagged edges, but she refuses to assume anything. In her other hand, she takes her own necklace and presses the two pendants together.

They connect – perfectly.

As Luke lays on the floor, dying, Annabeth pulls his necklace out from below her shirt. She has been wearing it ever since he pressed it into her palm all those many months ago. He asks if she loves him. The question really makes her think – of course she loves him. He cared for her when no one else did, protected her when she couldn't defend herself. He came to her in his final moment of weakness and shared with her his deepest secret. How couldn't she love him? But they could never match. They both guarded their necklaces more than their own bodies. They both needed someone whose necklace was always on display. Slowly, she shakes her head. Annabeth touches her own half-heart and glances at Percy for a moment, and she thinks Luke understands. He reaches his hand out for her, and she wraps the chain of his necklace around his wrist before kissing his fingertips.

"Now everyone can see how beautiful it is," she whispers.

Annabeth never tells Thalia about Luke's necklace. In the end, all necklaces do is bring pain.

On Percy's birthday, Annabeth wears her necklace over her shirt. She can see him sitting at his table, and her hands are sweating. Hoping that the plate holding his cupcake doesn't slip out of her grasp, she crosses the dining pavilion and sits next to him. He's surprised – and probably a little bit disgusted – by the blue coloured treat, but he eats it anyway. In fact, it's not until after he's finished that he even notices her necklace. She watches as he does a double-take – just glancing at the half-heart and away again before realizing what exactly he had seen and looking back once more.

"That's your necklace."

Annabeth nods.

"I – uh – it looks like … mine?"

Annabeth nods.

"Hold on."

Percy quickly unwraps his own necklace from his wrist, taking the half-heart in his trembling fingers. He pauses for a moment, silently asking for permission, and then presses his three jagged edges against her three jagged edges. They connect – perfectly.

"They match."

Annabeth nods.

(Afterwards Percy looks at her like he's never truly seen her before, and she's sure she looks the exact same way. He goes to place his necklace back where it belongs, but Annabeth takes his hand, stopping the movement, and kisses him. There's probably some cheering going on in the pavilion, but really – she's too blissful to care.

For the first time in her life, Annabeth knows that Luke was wrong. All necklaces do is bring happiness).

A/N: writing this gave me so many feelings like good lord it's such a dumb idea but it's so painful

Disclaimer: PJO belongs to RSquared

Note: i have no idea how birthing works please do not take that mess of semicolons to be true