Ares

"That means I can smash him into a pulp as often as I want he'll just keep coming back for more. I like this idea."

- Ares

Ares (Ἄρης in Ancient Greek) is the Greek god of war. Given the name Mars by the Romans who additionally associated him with agriculture; his symbols include the boar, dog, wolf, spear, sword, and vulture. Ray Winstone was cast as Ares in The Lightning Thief, but he was never actually shown.

History
Ares is one of the few children of the Olympian rulers Zeus and Hera. He developed a love of violence that surpassed that of any other Olympian, which made him perfect as the Olympian god of war. It also made him unpopular among his fellow deities who despised him for his overt love of war regardless of reason to fight. Despite this he was given a place on the Olympian ruling council possibly due to his parentage.

As the god of War, Ares would often participate in mortal conflicts, but would often fare poorly in divine contests. He would lend strength to whatever side he favored, but was known to be somewhat fickle and change sides in the middle of a battle.The blessing of Ares is known to give invincibillity in battle. Despite his great strength and fighting ability Ares often fared poorly in battles with other supernatural enemies. His half-brother Heracles is noted to have stalemated if not outright defeated him in battle twice. At one point he stripped Ares of his armor and another time defeated Ares and one of his children with the aid of Athena. The Alodai giants defeated Ares and imprisoned him within a jar. During the Trojan War he sided with the Trojans despite promising Hera he would aid the Greeks. For his actions he was wounded by the mortal hero Diomedes with the aid of Athena. After Zeus allowed the Olympians to participate openly in the war he challenged Athena, only to again be defeated and forced to flee. Apollo also defeated him in a boxing match at one point. He also fled in fear of the giant Typhon when the monster first attacked Olympus, though the rest of the gods did as well. Even though he was the god of war, some say he disturbed the gods with his pitiful tears when he lost.

Despite these setbacks Ares fought in the Gigantomachy and defended Olympus successfully against several other enemies.

The Lightning Thief
During the Winter solstice, Luke Castellan stole the Master Bolt and the Helm of Darkness. Ares caught him, but Luke convinced him into carrying out Kronos' plan. Ares lets Luke go and kept the helm and the bolt until Percy came along to complete the delivery. On June 14, 7 days before the summer solstice deadline, Ares approached Percy Jackson, Grover Underwood, and Annabeth Chase on his motorcycle as they were trying to get dinner. He "generously" paid for their meal (frightening many of the customers and staff in the process) and then got the companions to retrieve his shield (in the form of a bulletproof vest) from the Tunnel of Love ride in an abandoned Waterland. In return he told them to jump in an animal-smuggler's truck to get to Los Angeles.

At this point he also gave Percy a backpack with $20, a pouch of golden drachmas, fresh clothes for the three of them, and a box of Double-Stuffed Oreos. However, this backpack was actually the modified sheath for the master lightning bolt, enchanted by Ares to have the Master Bolt appear in it when Percy got close to Hades. After Percy, Grover, and Annabeth escaped from the Underworld by using the pearls given to Percy by the Nereid, Ares was waiting to kill them at the beach.

Ares revealed the reasoning behind his plan; Poseidon would declare war on Hades for killing Percy, Zeus would declare war on Hades for having the Master Bolt, and Hades would attack both of them, as he thinks one of them has his Helm of Darkness. He then remarks that a war between his relatives is the best kind of war, when Annabeth protests 'But they're your family!' He then accidentally revealed that Kronos was controlling him through his dreams.

He tried to kill Percy with a giant boar, but Percy sliced off one of its tusks with Riptide and engulfed it with a wave, killing it instantly. He then challenged Ares to a duel - if Ares won, he would turn Percy into anything he wanted, and get the Master Bolt; if Percy won, then he got both the bolt and the helm and Ares had to leave. Eventually Percy won the duel when he stabbed Ares in the heel; Ares tried to attack Percy again in a fit of rage, but Kronos prevented him. Before Ares departed, he warned Percy that he made a terrible mistake by making the God of War his enemy. He then curses Percy that his weapon would fail him when he needed it most, before leaving.

The Sea of Monsters
Ares does not appear much in the Sea of Monsters. He is only seen talking to his daughter Clarisse La Rue on the ironclad CSS Birmingham. He orders his daughter not to fail the quest (and threatens her to make her do it), and get Percy Jackson and his friends out of the way. For this reason, Clarisse refuses to let Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson go, but they all escape when the ironclad explodes.

The Titan's Curse
He is seen first at the Junkyard of the Gods, bringing a white limousine with the goddess Aphrodite inside. He is last seen in the Winter solstice of the Gods where he voted "Yes" on the destruction of Percy Jackson, along with Dionysus and Athena. In addition, the curse he gave to Percy in the first book (that, at a crucial time, his sword would fail him) comes back to haunt, when Percy fights Atlas, his sword becomes too heavy to lift.

The Last Olympian
Ares is only seen attacking Typhon with a knife while riding his motorcycle, and to congratulate his daughter Clarisse La Rue on defeating the drakon and called her "the greatest warrior I have ever seen." He later voted for Percy becoming immortal, muttering "I like this idea, then I get to smash him to the pulp and he'll keep coming back for more," when the gods give Percy Jackson the chance of becoming a god.

The Son of Neptune
He appears as Mars at Camp Jupiter proclaiming that there is a quest that should be taken. Percy is rude to him and notes that he believes that they have fought. Mars then explains that if he had fought him it was probably in his Greek form because he has no memory of fighting him. He then claims Frank Zhang as his child and gives him a spear. He appears "dressed in Canadian Forces desert camouflage. He radiated confidence and power. His black hair was cut in a flat-topped wedge like Frank's. His face was angular and brutal, marked with old knife scars. His eyes were covered with infrared goggles that glowed from inside. He wore a utility belt with a sidearm, a knife holster, and several grenades. In his hands was an oversized M16 rifle."

He later appears to Frank at the Zhang House in Canada over Grandma Zhang's sick body. He speaks with Frank and tells him of the family gift, the fact that Frank is a Legacy of Neptune, and that Percy has a hard choice to make, and that he will need Frank.

Personality
Ares is aloof, cruel, proud, rebellious, and violent; an easily angered bully who seems to care only about fighting. Rick Riordan stated that "He could pick a fight in an empty room." Because of this, he is disliked among gods and mortals. Even when Ares was brainwashed into starting a fight among his family, he still thought it was amusing. Ares is a capable strategist but his temper makes him tend to focus on strength and his arrogance leads him to underestimate his opponents, allowing clever fighters to get the better of him. He hates being called a coward and is willing to pick fights with people for no apparent reason.

Ares believes any problem can solved through fighting and encourages rebellion and violence above everything. Despite his personality, he does have a soft spot for his children even if he can be a strict parent as shown with Clarisse.

Appearance
Ares typically wears black jeans, combat boots, a leather duster, and muscle shirt with a bulletproof vest (his shield in disguise) and an iron padlock necklace. He wears red tinted wraparound sunglasses to cover his flame-filled eye sockets. He is described as handsome with scarred cheeks and tall with an oiled crew cut. He rides a large, black Harley Davidson chopper motorcycle with a flame pattern paint job, a leather seat made from human skin, with shotgun holsters riveted to the motorcycles sides. This motorcycle is actually his war chariot in a modern version of itself. He also has a hunting knife strapped to his thigh and an aluminum baseball bat (actually his sword in a modernized form) that can turn into various weapons, including a two handed broadsword and a shotgun.

Mars
Ares can change into his Roman counterpart of Mars. As Mars, he becomes more disciplined as well as even more militaristic and warlike which is shown by his focus on martial victory rather than sheer conflict. He has children and may also have descendants at Camp Jupiter near San Francisco. The Greeks envisioned Ares as a brutal and fearsome being while the Romans considered Mars Ultor, meaning "Mars the Avenger", to be the greatest of the gods after Jupiter. He also has other Roman depictions, such as Mars Gradivus, Mars Quirinus, Mars Grabovius, Mars Pater, Mars Silvanus, and Mars Augustus.

Abilities
It is presumed he has the standard powers of a god with personal abilities such as:
 * Command over darker human emotions
 * Control over fire and weaponry
 * Being able to summon boars
 * Limited necromancy
 * Mastery in all areas of warfare
 * Vast physical endurance and strength

Blessing
The Blessing of Ares gives the person blessed near invulnerability. He gives his blessing to people who show pure courage (or bloodlust) in the battlefield. He blessed his daughter Clarisse in The Last Olympian,  and she was made almost invincible, charging through the battlefield, destroying anything in her path.

Relationships
Ares has been Aphrodite's boyfriend for millennia. Aphrodite's husband Hephaestus once caught them together in a golden net of his own design, and invited the gods to come and laugh at their affair. Hephaestus seems to enjoy inventing new ways to humiliate the two, so Ares and Aphrodite pick the locations for their dates very carefully. Aphrodite also loves Ares more than Hephaestus and has had many children by him.

Ares' Chariot
Ares uses a changeable war chariot as his preferred mode of transportation. It is usually driven by Ares himself or by his charioteers, Deimos and Phobos. As a tradition, his sons are to drive it when they turn fifteen though a daughter is allowed if she is deemed worthy.

The Lightning Thief
Ares is played by Ray Winstone, though he is not credited. He is seen briefly at the end of the film, when the gods are arguing. He is seen on the left side of the screen with silver battle armor, and, although it is a far camera shot of him, he is shown to have grey hair. When the gods are all sitting in their chairs, he is shown sitting crookedly (one leg is on the arm of the chair) in between Demeter and Athena.

Trivia

 * Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, is named after Ares' Roman counterpart.
 * Ares states in The Lightning Thief that he considers the U.S "the best thing since Sparta" as ordinary citizens are allowed weapons and the constitution allows more freedom when it comes to punishment by law.
 * Ares uses sunglasses to cover his eyes, which are actually hollow sockets filled with flames.
 * Ares' aluminum baseball bat is actually his sword/spear in disguise.
 * Ares' preferred form for his chariot is a motorcycle which serves the same purpose as an ancient war chariot did.
 * In The Demigod Files it says his home town is Mount Olympus but under his bumper sticker reads: "I wasn't born in Sparta but I got here as fast as I could."
 * According to Rick Riordan, Ares' best quote is "Kill it dead."
 * In myth, Ares is portrayed as a military general or professional warrior but in America, he took on a 1950's rebellious "Greaser" persona.
 * Ares, in term of rocketry, are three Shuttle-derived launch of vehicles under development under NASA program, which are named after him.
 * His Latin name Mars, gave us the word "Martial".
 * In Latin he is sometimes called Mars Ultor - Mars the Avenger. He has a temple on Temple Hill in Camp Jupiter.
 * The Battle of the Labyrinth is the only book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series that Ares did not appear in.