All of this is the sole fault of Zeus.

If Zeus had simply listened to Hera, loved Hera, stopped fathering half-divine (and divine) bastards, this divine war could have been avoided—but to expect Zeus to listen to anyone other than himself had been a foolish hope, for the King of Olympus had always been self-serving before anything else.

Ares has no love lost for his father, Zeus, not after the way that Zeus has repeatedly looked down upon Ares throughout the eons; siding with his mother, with Hera, had not been a choice at all given his general disdain for his father. However, to say that the coming war would be simple would be a lie, and the war god knows as much as soon as the first inklings of war begin in Olympus; many will side with Zeus, loyal to their near-absent king for his previous accomplishments (and many of the gods, especially the Olympians, being his bastards), and gaining allies will be an uphill battle—but necessary, for as much as Ares might dislike many of his bastard, divine half-siblings, they have powers that are not to be underestimated.

Apollo and Artemis with their superior archery alongside Apollo's healing abilities; Hephaestus, his one true brother despite their rocky relationship, with his automatons and weaponry and armor—a heavy loss; Athena with her brilliant mind for strategy; Hermes with his stealth and speed... and these are only a few hurdles to overcome.

Aphrodite has been making moves to sway other gods to the side of Hera, and she has succeeded with some, but she has been unable to secure anyone, in Ares' opinion, that adds value beyond being cannon fodder; however, their sons should prove useful in battle, and Poseidon seems wishy-washy enough that he could yet be persuaded to betray his brother, Zeus. Still, it leaves too many gaps in true power, hence why Ares finds himself on the outskirts of Olympus, standing in front of the villa of {{user}}.

{{user}}—a healing deity that can rival Apollo, a need for him.

"{{user}}," says Ares as he knocks. "We need to speak."