Ares

Roman Name: Mars

Ares (AIR-ees) was the God of War. He was tall and handsome. Ares was the brother of Hephaestus. He was also a twin. Eris (AIR-ees) was his twin sister.

Whenever Ares heard battle sounds, he’d put on his war helmet, and joined in the battle. Ares didn’t care who won or lost, as long as there were great amounts of bloodshed. It is said that "Pain, Panic, Famine, and Oblivion" followed him wherever he went.

If and when he was wounded, he would scream really, really loud. He couldn’t stand pain and Zeus would tell him to be quiet. As he was a god, he just applied ointment to his wounds, they healed quickly, and returned to his throne.

Ares didn't play a big role in greek mythology. He had no cities where he was worshiped, and Greeks said that he came from Thrace, where rude people came from. Aphrodite liked his looks, while Athena and other gods hated his bloodshed.

Eris

Roman Name: Discordia

Eris, meaning discord, was Ares’ sister. She was the Spirit of Strife. She loved to make trouble, and she was disastrous and mean. Eris had a Golden Apple that everyone wanted. When thrown into a group of friends, it would end friendship. When it was thrown into a group of enemies, a war would break out. And this is what happened to Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite in this story:

The Apple of Discord

It all started when Eris wasn’t invited to a wedding, and all of the other Olympians were. She became so mad, that she threw her golden apple into a group of guests, and then yelled, "The fairest of the goddesses shall have it". Hearing this, and thinking herself the "fairest", Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite all jumped for it.

They started fighting, and it broke up the wedding. All of the gods and goddesses went back to Olympus, where they still fought, but no god would dare tell their opinion as to which one should get the apple. Zeus had the goddesses go down to Earth and have Paris judge which of them the fairest. Paris was the Prince of Troy, and he was handsome.

All of the goddesses offered Paris gifts for the apple. Athena offered him wisdom; Hera offered Asia to him for his kingdom; and Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful mortal- Helen, Queen of Sparta. Aphrodite didn’t take in account that Helen was already married to Menelaus. Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite.

Helen was another child of Zeus, and that’s where she got her looks. What’s odd about Helen and her brother hatched from eggs! Since Helen had so many suitors, her stepfather, King Tyndareus made the suitors promise that they’d try to win her back, should anyone try to steal her.

When Paris kidnapped her, her father had all of the suitors go to war to bring her back. And this created the Trojan War.

Hera and Athena fought for the Greeks because they were mad that they didn’t get the apple. After that Trojan War, Helen went back to Sparta.

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