Mars, God of War

Mars, God of War and Usurper of Olympus is a mythological diety said to be responsible for the creation of Mars and the Martian people. He is venerated by the Kingdom of Mars, and it is the official belief of the Martian Church that all Martians are his sons and daughters.

## History

Though known to both Martians and Humans, there is no records of Mars's existence other than the odd fact that he exists in both races' mythologies. There is a key difference, however, in that he is known as Ares to humans.

### Mythology

Mars is said to have been born from Jupiter and Juno, along with many other gods. It's said that Mars took on the role of the protector of the Martian people when they lived in the Realm of Olympia, alongside many other races. Originally a respected son of Jupiter, he eventually earned the scorn of the gods when he sided with the Martians in their bid to take over the land of Olympia. The Martians venerated Mars to the point of becoming a near hive mind, and soon their crusade swept across the holy kingdom. In time, Mars led the Martians to assault Olympus, defended by Jupiter, Minerva, and the races that stood loyal to them.

The battle is said to have been fierce, destroying all but one of the five kingdoms of mortals. By the end, only the gods and a handful of mortals remained. Empowered by the carnage he had led, Mars took his father Jupiter and slayed him before the eyes of the heavens. With the death of the king of Olympia, Mars now stood as the king of all Olympia. Desperate and refusing to bow, Minerva used the last of her power to seal Mars and herself into Olympus, while the mortals were scattered to a new kingdom. It is said that once the Martians spread the word of Mars across Olympia once more, he will return and give them the power over all mortals.

### Modern History

Mars was the patron deity of Emperor Bog and the Martian Empire for all of his rule, but as time went on the war god became more and more invested in the tyrannical Martian. Eventually this reached its apex when Mars began directly speaking to Bog following the attempt on his life by his former friends, whereupon Mars guided Bog to institute a theocratic rule in his name and seek to fulfill the Prophecy of Olympus. Eventually, Mars melded himself into Bog's consciousness after decades of influencing the Emperor's thoughts, turning Bog into a puppet to his will.

At Mars's command, Bog eventually searched for the gateway to Olympia, leading to the Martian Empire-Sol Alliance War upon the discovery that Earth controlled the asteroid which hid the gateway under its surface. In the final battle of the war, Mike and the Revengeancers battled against Bog and Mars using their Vanguard Spirits. Though Mars was more powerful than the group combined, Mike eventually was able to gain support from the masses on Earth which unlocked his full potential and allowed him to summon Prometheus as his ultimate Spirit. Using Prometheus, Mike ripped Mars out of Bog's soul, sealing away and then destroying the war god, who accepted his defeat in accordance to his philosophy of Survival of the Fittest.

## Trivia

* Mars is considered primarily to be the God of War. Martian scholars seem to debate whether he should be considered a Patron of Law or Chaos, however.