Ares was the god of War, son of Zeus and Hera. He was the first son to be born to them, and from the fierce look on his face at his birth, it was evident that he would be devoted to chaos. Ares revelled in charging across the battle field, and mercilessly killing men, women, and even children. He would return to Mount Olympus at the end of every day bathed in blood. All of the other gods frowned down on this, and rarely had anything to do with him. Athena would constantly challenge Ares to battles in the gardens of Olympus, and always end up defeating him. She was a goddess of strategy; whereas Ares would rush into battle in a blind rage, his strength and agility turned out to be his weakness.
Eris, Ares’ twin sister, would always be at his side in any battle, throwing her golden apple into the centre of crowds of people, causing strife. He had two other gods that would travel with him as attendants; they were Demos (Fear), and Phobos (Terror). They were often thought to be his sons, conceived through his lust for battle. Together, they would strike fear into the hearts of mortals, and they would fall to their knees to be slaughtered by the bloodthirsty Ares. He was given two stallions by his Uncle, Poseidon to draw his chariot. These horses (called Flame and Terror) would eat the flesh of the dead, or charge after mortals, trample them into the ground, and tear the muscle from their bones while they were still alive. Rather than sweat, the horses would give off crimson blood, and they were constantly surrounded by the stagnant smell of death.
The only thing that Ares cared for, other than battle, was the beautiful Aphrodite. He would turn from a fierce lion, to a gentle kitten in her presence. She cared for him too, and the two of them would often make love where nobody would be able to find them. From the union of the two gods came Harmonia, representing the balance between good and chaos, or the two of them existing together in perfect harmony.
