Ares is the god of war, son of Zeus and Hera.
Physical Description
Ares dresses in a leather jacket and sunglasses, which hide balls of fire where his eyes should be and rides a Harley Davidson motorcycle, which is just another form of his War Chariot. He also has a huge knife on a strap on his leg, and has short cropped brown hair.
Relationships
He is Aphrodite's boyfriend, and has been for millenia. His children share his malevolent attitude, including the demigoddess Clarisse.
Appearances
The Lightning Thief
During the Summer solstice, Luke Castellan stole the master bolt and the helm of darkness. Ares caught him, but Luke (with help from Kronos) planted Kronos's plan in Ares's mind. Ares let 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 as they were trying to get dinner. He then got the companions to retrieve his booby-trapped shield 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 package of Double-Stuf 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 for them at the beach.
Ares tried to kill Percy with a boar, but Percy sliced off one of its tusks with Riptide and engulfed it with a wave. 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 foot; Ares tried to kill Percy, but Kronos prevented him.
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 submarine USS Birmingham. He orders his daughter not to fail the quest, 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 submarine 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. 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, as when Percy fights Atlas, his sword becomes dramatically heavy
The Last Olympian
Ares is only seen to congratulate his daughter Clarisse La Rue on defeating the Drakon, and also 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 on becoming a god.
Trivia
- As said in The Lightning Thief he considers America the best thing since Sparta, as one can do whatever one wants.
- He uses sunglasses to cover his eyes, which are actually fireballs. The glasses seem to be able to take the heat, but start to melt if he gets mad.
- His baseball bat can turn into any weapon he chooses, from a simple bronze sword to a modern age shotgun.
- He cursed Percy near the ending of The Lightning Thief, when Percy managed to stab him in the heel with his sword "Riptide". Ares cursed him saying that his weapons would fail him when he needed them most. The curse took effect in The Titan's Curse, when Percy was fighting Atlas his sword suddenly became too heavy for him to lift.
Film
Ray Winstone
In the upcoming film, The Lightning Thief, Ares will be played by Ray Winstone.