Ares (Greek: Ἄρης) was the original Olympian God of War, and the son of Zeus and Hera and the main antagonist of God of War, as well as the perpetrator behind the events of God of War: Ascension, meaning he was also responsible for setting the events of the series into motion by tricking Kratos into killing his family and turning him into the Ghost of Sparta, which eventually fulfilled the prophecy of the Marked Warrior who would destroy Olympus and end the reign of the Gods. Ares was the oldest child of Zeus and was commonly referred to as the most hated god on Mount Olympus by every god, even before being killed by Kratos.