#u don't

                                                                      APHRODITE.

this is the most popular romance of his and most of his notable children came from this relationship. with aphrodite, who he lovingly calls aph, he has suffered humiliation and heartache, while experiencing the most joy in his existence. being with her has helped him to grow as a person, and while he is still 98% bad traits, the 2% good traits shine when he’s around her.

in the beginning, their relationship worked so effortlessly because they chose each other and had the freedom to come and go as they pleased. as time went on and as they had children, their relationship evolved to something more comfortable, and something similar to a marriage, but with no ties to bind them, aside from the thousands of years spent together.

much of this early relationship is touched upon in this post.

another personal headcanon regarding this relationship involves the children that ares and aphrodite had together. in my canon, their children reflect the state of their relationship as it evolves over time, going from a whirlwind affair to a stable partnership and deeper romantic relationship. for instance, in the linked post above, fear weighs heavily upon both of them as they realize they will have a child, and their first child happens to be fear.

aphrodite is the first woman ares ever fell in love with, and is the only one that can bring him to his knees and make him willingly surrender himself to her. she is the reason he has never taken another woman for a wife, and likely will not. he is possessive of her, though he knows he will never truly own her, and they are jealous over each other (a prime example being the treatment of eos).