Ares

* Elysium
* Classic

*As the twin brother of Eris, Ares is the eldest son of Hera and her designated heir. Ares has always been a child who excelled in times of conflict and was instrumental in the Olympians' conquering of the Titans. He has had a long-running relationship with Aphrodite in spite of her marriage to his younger brother, Hephaestus. Though this has caused conflict in the past with his brother, Ares and Hephaestus have made amends and are quite amiable presently. Nowadays, Ares primarily concerns himself with shaping the Empire of Sparta into a prosperous nation.*

## History

### Early Life

Ares was born shortly after the wedding of Hera and Zeus. His mother often told him how special he was as the son of Zeus, but as he came of age and began to develop his divine gifts, Ares realized that his mother had oversold his uniqueness due to the number of other exiles in the camp who also claimed Zeus as their father. When asked about this, Hera promised her son that she was the only woman Zeus loved and as a result, her children were all the more powerful. **Ares** took this literally and as a result, his powers developed in such a manner to reflect both this sense of superiority, entitlement, and his resentment of his father.

Being immortal, the gods used time to their advantage, training in secret and biding their time. They had a few skirmishes with the Titans and would relocate their camp from time to time to prevent capture. On rare occasion, the godlings (now joined by Ares, Hephaestus, and their cousins Triton and Persephone) would become overeager and engage in guerrilla warfare with the Titans.

When one of the godlings' attacks on the Titans backfired and the gods were forced to abandon their camp prematurely, without a replacement ready, Zeus had to make an alliance with the Oread nymphs in the mountains of Arcadia to shelter the gods in a secret cave that was sacred to the Oread tribe. This alliance was sealed through intimate means, as is customary among the nymphs, resulting in Zeus lying with their tribal leader, the immortal nymph Maia. Months later, this resulted in the birth of Hermes.

To assure the survival of his people, Zeus had broken the sanctity of his second marriage. Hera was furious at this and with every passing day that the gods remained in the cave, sheltered by the Oreads, Hera's love for Zeus faltered.

As tensions escalated at home and with the Titans, Hera decided that open war might not be needed. She sought to negotiate with the Titans, in secret, wanting a more stable existence for her two sons. She arranged to talk with Rhea on neutral ground, but when she went to the meeting with Ares and Hephaestus accompanying her, she found Kronos himself waiting there instead of Rhea. Eager for combat, Ares was excited to find Kronos at the meeting instead and immediately engaged the Titan in combat.

To save Ares from certain demise, Hephaestus put himself in the way of a blow that would have utterly destroyed Ares. Though this only enraged Ares further, Hera used her psychic powers to take control over Ares' mind and had him grab Hephaestus and flee while she surrendered herself to the Titan. Though this succeeded in preventing the death of Ares and Hephaestus, the mental force that Hera was forced to use caused severe damage to Ares‘ mind.

Ares returned to the cave with Hephaestus and word of Hera's capture. After hearing of this, Zeus decided that the time they had been waiting for was now. And so, to rescue Hera, the gods rallied their allies and made an assault on the Haven on Mount Othrys.

After this, Ares swore to himself that it would be the last time he was ever forced off a battlefield, and he threw himself into the following final battle with the Titans, where he not only rescued his mother but distinguished himself as the finest champion, earning the title of God of War for his efforts.

### Rise of the New Gods

Upon being overlooked for the title of Heir of Olympus, Ares found himself spending more time in the mortal realm. Eventually, Ares became the patron of a tribal people called Spartans, and he took it upon himself to teach them everything he knew of war. When Athena founded her own city in the mortal realm, Ares made sure that the Spartans were the ones to conquer it.

Ares also fell in love with and began a relationship with his brother's wife, Aphrodite, an affair that has continued to this day. The two have had many children together, including Eros, Phobos, Deimos, Adrestia and Harmonia. When Hephaestus discovered their affair, he trapped them in a net and dragged their naked bodies in front of all the Olympians to humiliate them. This actually made Ares respect his brother more.

### Elysium

This rivalry has continued to Elysium where Ares' Spartan Empire and the Republic of Athens are constantly fighting skirmishes over their borders, often with Ares himself on the front lines, basking in the blood and carnage, while laughing maniacally.

To this day, Ares' mind still bears the scars of his mother's psychic possession, forcing him to seek out conflict to sate the madness.

## Role in NeOlympus

Appearances of Ares

 Abilities

* **God:** Son of Hera and Zeus, Ares is divine by birth and has all the rights and luxuries of being a true-born prince of Olympus.
	+ ***Champion of Olympus:*** By decree of the Six, Ares is recognized as the Champion of Olympus and is the rightful representative of the Pantheon in challenges of combat. This tradition also gives Ares the right to summon the five legendary elemental warriors, known as the Sown-Ones to aid him in battle. The five Sown-Ones spring forth from the ground around Ares at his command and fight without flaw, fear, mercy, or remorse
	+ ***God of War:*** Ares holds the honor of being the God of War. The deaths of those who fall in battle are counted among his prayers as is every drop of bloodshed. Ares can not only sense when a battle is taking place, but can immediately relocate himself to join the battle at the moment of its first death.
	+ ***God of Violence:*** Naturally, as the God of War, Ares' natural ability is his penchant for violence. Not only is Ares able to use any weapon or execute any style of fighting intuitively, but he knows where to strike to cause the most damage or pain to a mortal body
	+ ***God of Civil Order & Anarchy:*** Contrary to popular belief, but Ares actually is worshiped in times of peace, as the God of Civil Order and as such is worshiped by law enforcement, watchmen, and city guard alike. However, when a city falls to anarchy, Ares also receives worship as the God of Rebellion and Anarchy. His powers under this role allow him to identify if a mortal is an enforcer or insurgent when he hears them speak and knows which laws are enforced in the locale in which he is present
* **Keeper of the Arsenal of Three:** Crafted recently by his brother Hephaestus, Ares owns three weapons which can become any form of weaponry, armor, or tool associated with war that the user wishes. In the form of weapons, being made of orichalcum and adamant, the arsenal is able to hurt and kill divine beings. Ammunition and fuel may be required to make use of the weapon if that form should require such
* **Inheritance and Birthright:** Gods of Olympus will inherit three abilities: One Inheritance from their mother (or matron), one Inheritance from their father (or patron), and one unique ability called the Birthright.
	+ ***Maternal Inheritance: Command:*** As a son of Hera, Ares can flood a sentient being's mind with fear, compelling them to do as he desires. Only those with a willpower weaker than Ares are affected to the full effect. Those that are affected will often have a residual of Ares for several days, making more subsequent attempts more likely to succeed. Continued usage of this ability over time can leave targets traumatized.
	+ ***Paternal Inheritance: Arete of Charisma:*** As a son of Zeus, Ares can be disarming charming and seductive (or feared), gaining a passive influence over people's emotions and thoughts regarding him, and inclining them to have stronger feelings towards him. When Ares draws attention to himself this effect is more potent. Due to Ares' reputation, many will be predisposed to fear him regardless of his intentions.
	+ ***Personal Birthright: Arete of Conflict:*** Ares has a natural aptitude for conflict and war. Because of this, he has an innate aptitude for armor, weaponry, combat, and tactics of all kinds. Upon handling any weapons or instrument of war not previously encountered, Ares will quickly develop a practical proficiency with it.

## Relationships

Ares most significant relationship is with his brother's wife, Aphrodite:

* **Aphrodite** and **Hephaestus:** Ares' great love, Aphrodite is the wife of his brother Hephaestus. When Hephaestus discovered their affair, he trapped them in a net and dragged their naked bodies before the Olympians. Oddly enough, this earned him the respect of many, including Ares and Aphrodite.
* **Hera:** Hera's favorite son, she firmly believes that it should be Ares that inherits the throne, not Athena. She's currently supporting him in his war against Athena.
* **Athena:** The only thing standing between him and the throne, the two have had a rivalry that has continued to Elysium where Ares' Spartan Empire and the Republic of Athens are constantly fighting skirmishes over their borders, often with Ares himself on the front lines, basking in the blood and carnage, while laughing maniacally.

## Trivia

### General

* In NeOlympus, Ares' crazy antics are explained by the psychological and physical injuries he suffered while fighting Kronos.
* Ares' three weapons transform into any weapon he wants. Comparing his classic portrait to his current portrait, his spear becomes a sword, his shield becomes a shotgun, his short sword becomes a pistol.

## Gallery

Ares
(Elysium)Mars
(Rome)Ares
(Classic)
### Appears In

NeonomikonAres
CardStorm and ScornLove and War