There's something about Percy...

War, love, it's the same thing really.

You fight the war, so you can end the war, so you can go home. Ares knows that war is really a struggle for love but never before has he had to face that struggle himself.

That punk kept surprising him - surprising all of the Olympians. Never before had a mortal demigod even gotten close to beating Ares in hand-to-hand combat. Then all of a sudden this kid waltzes in and defies all known limits. At first the war god had been furious and determined to seek revenge from the upstart kid but his motives gradually became more unclear. His stalking to observe weaknesses in the boy soon became stalking to just... well, to actually see the boy. His desire to punish the boy that had made him look like such a mockery morphed into a slightly different form of punishment. One that had his godly blood rush down to his lower regions and his breath hitch. It wasn't just that kind of sensation but also another stronger one. Something unfamiliar that swelled in his chest whenever his mind flicked to the son of Poseidon. Each time he would gaze down from Olympus another wave of that sassy persona and those entrancing green eyes would wash over him and Ares always knew that he'd fallen a little deeper.

Every inch of his being wanted to claim and dominate the boy who had proven himself over and over in the battlefield. Many times he'd even issued unnecessary quests just so he would get to see those muscles in action. Ares would refuse to admit his obsession and he would deny anyone who pointed it out. He was content just watching from afar. But deep down there would always be that wild beast that couldn't hold back and would stop at nothing to take what was rightfully his. Ares feared the day that the beast would finally break out, knowing exactly how far his darker side would go to win the unattainable prize. Many might not realise it, but war and love are far more closely related than you'd think. Ares knew he'd move mountains, raise hell, anything to win that demigod's approval. The Olympian could try as hard as wanted to pretend that he'd ever have a chance to win the demigod's love but it was all futile in the end. He'd start a war for his love...his love that could never be.