Aphrodite (left) and Ares (right)
The Tale of Aphrodite and Ares Ares wasn’t the only undesirable god among Zeus and Hera’s offspring. His brother Hephaestus was also rejected because of his terrible ugliness. As revenge, Hephaestus made a golden throne for Hera that wouldn’t allow her to get up until she met all of his demands. Among these demands were that Hephaestus be allowed back onto Mount Olympus and that he be given Aphrodite’s hand in marriage. This last demand caused extreme displeasure to Ares and Aphrodite, who had already fallen in love.
Because they did not wish to give up the connection that had already been kindled between them, Ares and Aphrodite decided to continue their relationship in secret. This was fine for a time, but eventually Helios saw the two in an intimate embrace and told Hephaestus of the affair. Hephaestus was immediately angered and wanted revenge. Instead of confronting Ares directly, he made a net of the finest metals that he had. The end-product was a trap that was practically invisible and could be sprung by Hephaestus at any time he chose.
Hephaestus waited until Ares and Aphrodite had engage in passionate lovemaking before he sprang his trap. The net shot up and trapped the two lovers in an intimate embrace that they couldn’t free themselves from. To make matters worse, Hephaestus invited all the gods and goddesses to his home to see the two lovers in their shameful state. The goddesses declined out of respect, but many of the gods went to marvel at Aphrodite’s beauty and cast shame upon Ares. The two were held in their revealing embrace for days before Hephaestus decided to let them go.
Ares and Aphrodite never married, but there was a level of commitment that was shared between the two. Aphrodite went on to give birth to several children for Ares. Among these children were Phobos (god of fear and phobias), Deimos (god of terror), Harmonia (goddess of harmony), and Adrestia (goddess of revolt). Although it is not surprising that Ares was father to so many war gods and goddesses, it is also noted that he bore four other children with Aphrodite that were considerably more gentle in nature. These were the Erotes (the winged gods of love) and their names were Eros, Anteros, Himeros, and Pothos.