Hephaestus - God Of War

Hephaestus

Hephaestus (Hephaistos) was a Greek god, whose Roman equivalent was Vulcanus. His mother was Hera, who gave birth to him either alone or with Zeus. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire, and volcanoes. He served as the blacksmith of the gods, and he was worshipped in the manufacturing and industrial centers of Greece, particularly in Athens. The center of his cult was in Lemnos. Hephaestus' symbols are a smith's hammer, an anvil and a pair of tongs, although sometimes he is portrayed holding an axe. Hephaestus is the only Olympian god to have been exiled from Olympus and to have returned. In a Homeric version of Hephaestus' myth, Hera, mortified to have brought forth such grotesque offspring, promptly threw him from Mount Olympus. He fell nine days and nights and landed in the ocean. Hephaestus, being the most unfaltering of the gods, was given Aphrodite�s hand in marriage by Zeus in order to prevent conflict over her between the other gods.

Before Ares' death, and Kratos opening Pandora's Box, Hephaestus was the most prized craftmen of all Olympus, and was rewarded with marriage to Aphrodite. Hephaestus' deformed appearance may be due to being brutally attacked by Zeus after the King of the Gods was filled with the Evil Fear, and became enraged with Kratos' retrieval of the Box.

When Kratos traveled through the underworld after being dislodged from Gaia, he stumbled upon Hephaestus in his forge. After exchanging insults, Hephaestus revealed that although Zeus was the one to imprison him, Kratos was in fact the true source of his torment. When Kratos inquired about the Flame of Olympus, Hephaestus told of how everyone on Olympus knew and respected it. He continued to warn Kratos, saying that it was powerful enough to kill both man and god. When Kratos insisted upon knowing its location, Hephaestus sarcastically replied by stating that if Kratos could find his way out of the Underworld, he could find the Flame as well.

After killing Hades, Kratos returned to the forge, informing the Smith God of his triumph over the God of the Underworld. Hephaestus then regaled Kratos with his past life as the prized craftsman of the gods, but concluded by stating that his perfect life ended when Kratos killed Ares. Furthermore, the girl whom he considered his daughter, Pandora, had been taken away from him, never to return. He had tried to recreate her in the forge ever since, but failed time and time again. He asked Kratos to retrieve Pandora for him, but Kratos dismissed his request, stating he had other concerns, although Hephaestus tried to persuade Kratos again by reminding the Ghost of Sparta about his own role as a father. Kratos, visibly touched, paused for a moment, before leaving the Forge.

Kratos returned to Hephaestus through the Hyperion Gate connecting the Forge with Aphrodite's bedchamber. At first Hephaestus believed it to be his wife, before recoiling at the sight of Kratos, asking if Aphrodite had "conquered another God of War". Kratos ignored his question, instead demanding to know the whereabouts of the Labyrinth, to which Hephaestus expressed some confusion. He quickly realized that Pandora was being held in the Labyrinth and that Kratos intended to use her as a means of destroying the Flame of Olympus. Hephaestus angrily told Kratos to stay away from Pandora, citing that he was the reason both of them were imprisoned, to which Kratos retorted that he did them no wrong. Hephaestus countered, saying it was because he opened the box, but Kratos replied that he "did what had to be done", at which point Hephaestus began to unfold a bigger picture: In creating Pandora's Box, Hephaestus knew the Flames were the safest place to hold them. To open the Box, he forged a key that took on its own life. Dubbed Pandora, father and daughter would grow to love each other. Aware Zeus would take Pandora from him, Hephaetus lied to Zeus, saying the safest place to keep the Box was on top of Cronos' back. After Kratos used the box to kill Ares, Zeus, driven by madness and fear, angrily battered Hephaestus until he revealed his deceit, despite the fact that Zeus had actually aided Kratos on his quest to retrieve the box from Pandora's Temple. Zeus subsequently took Pandora from her father, and sent him to the Underworld. Hephaestus then desperately attempted to dissuade Kratos from finding Pandora, but the Ghost of Sparta claimed that nothing would stop him from destroying Zeus.

Running out of options, Hephaestus decided to kill Kratos. The smith god first faked wanting to help him, and told the Spartan to travel to the Pit of Tartarus in order to find the Omphalos Stone, so that he could make a weapon for Kratos. Kratos initially did not want a new weapon, stating he already had plenty, but Hephaestus insisted the weapon he would create would be a "special" one. Whilst on his quest, Kratos battled the Titan Cronos, and slew him, taking the Omphalos Stone from his body. Returning to Hephaestus, Kratos was furious, as he believed the Smith God had sent him on a suicide mission. Hephaestus pleaded innocence, claiming that he knew the Ghost of Sparta could handle himself. After completing the Nemesis Whip, Hephaestus tried electrifying Kratos with his ring in a final attempt to kill him.

Kratos managed to shake off the effect and killed Hephaestus by impaling him on his own anvil. In his dying words, the smith god asked Kratos to spare his daughter, as well as begging for Pandora's forgiveness, after which he passed away. Kratos appeared to bear no ill will towards Hephaestus for this betrayal however, as he later told Pandora Hephaestus had done what any father should.

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Athena - God Of War

Athena

"Death cannot hold those with purpose, Kratos." - Athena

Athena (pronounced /?'?i?n?/) or Athene (/?'?i?ni?/; Attic: ?????, Athena;), also referred to as Pallas Athena (?a???? ?????; pronounced /'p�l?s/), is the goddess of civilization, wisdom, strength, strategy, craft, justice, and skill in Greek mythology. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is also a shrewd companion of heroes and the goddess of heroic endeavor. She is the virgin patron of Athens. The Athenians built the Parthenon on the Acropolis of her namesake city, Athens, in her honor (Athena Parthenos). In Roman Mythology, Athena was referred to as Minerva.

In the city of Sparta, two brothers, Kratos and Deimos, trained in the hopes of one day joining the ranks of the great Spartan army. Interrupted by the gods Ares and Athena, who were sent to abduct Deimos because of his unusual birthmarks, Kratos unsucessfully attempted to foil his brother's abduction. As Kratos charged Ares, the god of war smacked Kratos' across his face, leaving an open wound over his right eye. Ares lifted his sword in order to kill the child, but saw Athena force him to relent. As Ares took Deimos with him, Athena quickly apologized to Kratos and followed, leaving the boy distraught and injured.
Ally to KratosEdit Ally to Kratos sectionEdit

Throughout the series, Athena served as Kratos' main ally. She watched over him, and offered guidance and protection where needed. After Ares tricked Kratos into murdering his family, Athena became Kratos' refuge. In exchange for years of service, she promised to purify him of his past crimes. It was she who often told Kratos of the tasks the gods wanted him to perform, frequently speaking with the Ghost of Sparta through statues in her own image. After witnessing the sun plummet from the sky and reaching the Temple of Helios, Kratos is greeted by Athena through one of her statues and informs him that Helios has been kidnappend, then tasking Kratos to find the Sun God. Without the light of Helios to shine down on the world nothing would stop Morpheus from seizing permant control as the gods were slowly falling into a deep slumber. Shortly after meeting with Kratos, Athena herself succumbed to the power of Morpheus and joined the other gods in slumber.

At the completion of his quest Kratos is seen riding Helios' Chariot back into the sky. Weak from his battles he falls unconscious from the Chariot but is saved by a mysterious force before he hits the ground. Athena and Helios are then seen approaching Kratos, proclaiming his service to the gods while simultaneously disarming him of the Gauntlet of Zeus and the Sun Shield. As the pair depart for Mount Olympus Helios questions Athena whether they should help further, however Athena declines and states "He'll live. They must."

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Hermes - God Of War

Hermes

"I have the speed of Olympus with me, mortal!" - Hermes

In Greek mythology, Hermes (??�??) is the great messenger of the gods and additionally a guide to the Underworld. As an Olympian god, his sphere of influence was vast; he was the patron of boundaries (and the travelers who cross them), shepherds and cowherds, thieves and liars (and their cunningness), orators and wit, literature and poets, athletics and sports, weights and measures, invention, general commerce, profit and good luck. He also acted as the messenger of Hades, guiding departed souls to their final resting place and carrying messages between the Underworld and Olympus. Another of his duites was to take Dreams from the God Morpheus and deliver them to the mortals.

His symbols include the tortoise, the rooster, the winged hat, the caduceus and the most recognizable of all, his winged sandals. He was the son of Zeus and the Pleiades Maia, a daughter of the mighty Titan Atlas. His Roman counterpart was Mercurius.

Hermes, much like his brethren, was briefly seen competing in the wager of the gods, a contest in which each god chose one mortal to represent themselves in a search for Ambrosia. He was later seen with Poseidon, watching as Kratos, Ares' champion, slaughtered many enemies in his path. His confidence in his own champion, Danaus, proved infallable, as he continually taunted his fellow gods about his champion being the one to steal the Ambrosia. Unfortunately for Hermes, Danaus later met his end at the hands of Hades' champion, Alrik.

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Kratos - Spartans Stand Tall

Kratos - Spartan Stand Tall

"Zeus! Your son has returned. I bring the destruction, of Olympus!" - Kratos

Kratos is the main protagonist and anti-hero of the God of War series. Born a Spartan, Kratos held the military rank of General, before exacting his revenge on the Olympians.

- "How much is enough, Kratos? When will it end!?"
- "When the glory of Sparta is known throughout the world!"
- "The glory of Sparta... You did this for yourself!"
- Kratos and Lysandra
Living in Sparta, Kratos was monitored, like all other younglings. During several tests, those that were deemed fit were to stay in Sparta to be trained as Spartan protectors, while those deemed unfit would be sent to the mountains, sealing their fate. Kratos, already feisty and aggressive at his young age, along with his brother, Deimos, trained, and dreamt of joining the Spartan army. On an ill-fated day, when the young brothers were training outside their home, the city was raided by the gods, Ares and Athena , and their army of centaurs, in search of the Marked Warrior. Ares, seeing Deimos' birthmark as a sign of the prophecy, then snatched him away. In anger and desperation, Kratos jumped to attack the god and save his brother, only for Ares to smack Kratos back in to a pile of wood, leaving him with a scar. Kratos' scar, delivered by Ares.
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Insulted by this, Ares raised his sword to kill Kratos, but was stopped by Athena reminding him that they had what they were looking for. Before leaving, Athena apologized to Kratos, and disappeared into flames. The loss of his brother left an indelible mark on Kratos, as he vowed to never falter again, Kratos adorned a red tattoo on his body in honor of Deimos, a tattoo in the very image of his brother's birthmark. Later on in time, he had married Lysandra, and had a daughter, Calliope.

Calliope, however, was the victim of a plague and was deemed weak, thus, she would be thrown into a chasm and left to die, according to Spartan law. Kratos then heard from an elder the capabilities of the healing elixir known as Ambrosia. Determined to save his daughter, Kratos set out on a journey for the Ambrosia, not knowing that Ares, God of War, had chosen him to be his champion in the wager of the Gods, a contest with the ultimate goal being the capture of the Ambrosia. He later encountered a healer who gave him the Flames of Apollo in order to aid him in his quest. Over the course of his journey, an army of Spartans joined him, along with Captain Nikos. Eventually, he encountered Herodius, Poseidon's champion, and killed him, with Herodius' army slain by the Spartans. After taking the ship, Poseidon, angered at Kratos for costing him the wager, unleashed a handful of hazards at sea to kill the Spartans, but failed, as Kratos and the Spartans made it to land. Later on, Kratos encountered Artemis' champion, Pothia, and killed her as well, her army also falling victim to the Spartans. In fear that Kratos would defeat his champion, Alrik, Hades sent a torrent of fire through the sky in order to kill Kratos, but failed, instead killing many men in Kratos' army, including Nikos. Coming across the Ambrosia, he encountered Helios' Champion, who was, too, killed by the Spartan. After retrieving the Ambrosia and returning to his Spartan army, Alrik and his Barbarian army battled the Spartans for the Ambrosia, as Alrik's father is very ill, and is in need of the elixir. After a grueling battle between the two leaders, Kratos successfully captured the Ambrosia (at the cost of his own men) and summoned an army of Rocs to continuously torture Alrik. Kratos then returned to Sparta, healed Calliope, and was promoted to the title of a Captain by the King of Sparta.

Over the course of his battles, Kratos' brutality and war-hunger increased. He won battles through unorthodox, but effective tactics. However, Kratos and his Spartan army would prove no match for the merciless Barbarian tribes from the east. Outnumbered and overpowered, the Spartans began losing the battle quickly. Kratos, whom was nearly killed by the Barbarians' leader, Alrik, desperately pledged allegiance to Ares, the God of War, in exchange for victory. The God accepted, killing the Barbarians, and giving Kratos the Blades of Chaos as a sign of his servitude. Kratos served Ares loyally, raiding villages and spreading chaos in his name.

However, during a raid on a village of Athena's followers, Ares tricked Kratos into killing his wife and child in a fit of blind rage. Ares justified his trickery as a means to make Kratos the perfect warrior. Stricken with horror and grief, Kratos left the bodies to be burned within the temple as he cursed Ares' name. The village oracle in turn cursed Kratos, forcing him to forever wear the ashes of his dead family on his skin. From that day forward, he was known as The Ghost of Sparta; his skin now 'pale as the moon' from the ashes that coated him.

Distraught, Kratos was haunted by terrible nightmares over the death of his family. In due time, the memories and nightmares began to consume him, driving him to the brink of madness. Abandoning Sparta, Kratos traveled throughout Greece, finding small solace in sailing the Aegean Sea. To find peace again, he pledged himself to the other Gods of Olympus, in the hope that they would one day relieve him of his burden.

To other mortals, he was now marked by his white skin. The knowledge of his past actions had been shown to repulse normal people to the point where they would rather die than allow him to save their lives. He became known as the personification of cruelty and selfishness.

Kratos would serve the Gods for ten years following the death of his family, but he never lost his desire for revenge against Ares, the God who stole everything from him.

Kratos - God Of War 3

Picking up right where God of War II left off, God of War III saw Zeus discussing the actions of the rogue God of War, Kratos, who was 'commanding' a small army of Titans rescued from the Great War, using the power of the Fates. The Olympians immediately rushed to battle as Hermes sped down the very peaks of Olympus, Hercules sent out his troops down into the fray, Hades, in giant form, lunged off the Mountain and engaged several Titans, and Poseidon, using his aquakinesis, shot down from Olympus like a torpedo, and struck a death blow through Epimetheus' chest, sending the Titan into a watery grave. The God of the Sea then manifested himself as a massive water being and spawned several Hippocampi to aid him in battle. With Poseidon as their greatest threat in battle, having already decimated numerous Titan, and now going after Gaia herself, Kratos engaged the God of the Sea and, drawing him into Gaia's grasp, managed to knock a weakened Poseidon out of his godly form, and onto a separate platform. The two berated each other briefly before Kratos walked up and battered the Lord of the Sea severely, finally gouging out his eyes and snapping his neck as he tossed him off into the ocean. With Poseidon's death, the seas cataclysmed and ocean levels rose significantly, causing a flood that engulfed the entire world, destroying almost all of mankind, save those on top of Olympia.
After killing Poseidon, Gaia and Kratos reached Zeus' pavilion, where the king of the gods angrily anticipated Kratos' arrival and, at last, assaulted both with a mighty blast of lightning, that blew a portion of Gaia's arm clean off, sending the two spiraling down Olympus. Having stabbed the Blade of Olympus to in Gaia's back to hold onto, Kratos was unable to hang on as Gaia fought to survive. Gaia shouted in pain, as she told him he was but a pawn, and was deemed expendable now that the Titans had reached Zeus. Embittered, Kratos tumbled into the underworld. Contemplating his life as he lurched through the River Styx and its caverns, he resolved to escape Hades yet again, and destroy Zeus once and for all. On his way to Hades' chamber, after being sucked of nearly all of his power by the dead souls of Styx, he met the ghost of Athena, who claimed to have reached a "higher existence", and was once again willing to help Kratos exact his revenge. With Kratos suspicious of this turn of events, Athena explained how she saw truths were she did not before. As a sign of faith, she transformed Kratos' ruined blades into the Blades of Exile, to help him survive the Underworld and the foes that awaited him. She then continued to define his quest, as she ordered him to find and extinguish the Flame of Olympus, in order to truly defeat Zeus.Kratos battling Hades.
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Kratos made his way through the Underworld, meeting lost souls, encountering The Judges, and visiting Hephaestus several times, gaining more and more information about the secrets of Olympus, his adopted daughter Pandora, who was the key to Pandora's Box, and Zeus, all along finding mysterious scrawls that he silently acknowledged to be from various people in his past. Finally, having entered Hades' Palace, and finding the coffin-wed body of Persephone that Hades had restored, he engaged the Lord of the Underworld himself inside of a dark cavern. Kratos and Hades proved evenly matched, until a bloodthirsty Spartan managed to rip off his helmet, stole his Claws, and stole Hades' own soul by absorbing it into the Claws. Hades, without a soul and now dead, caused all souls in the Underworld to go rampant. Escaping the Underworld through a Hyperion Gate, Kratos continued his journey up along Olympus, now facing both the Titans and the Gods. Defeating Hermes by slicing his leggs off, he took his boots, mercilessly pummeled his own half-brother Hercules to death with the Cestus, snapped Hera's neck after she insulted Pandora, encountered a radiant Aphrodite and her handmaidens in the goddess' chamber, and finally arrived at the Flame's chamber. Inside the Chamber, in the presence of Pandora, whom he had previously freed from the Labyrinth, he began to have second thoughts and refused to let Pandora sacrifice her life. In turn, she refused as well, stating she did not want to be treated as a child, and how she had to embrace her destiny, only to be interrupted and apprehended by Zeus himself.

Kratos, demanding that Zeus let go of Pandora, saw Zeus retort he should not confuse Pandora with his own flesh and blood, but mused that he already had. He cited the destruction of Olympus as proof of Kratos' need for atonement for the murder of his family. Kratos snarled that he only saw what he had come to destroy. He then engaged in battle with his father, while Olympus crumbled around them. Pandora tried to run into the Flame, intent on pacifying it, as Kratos attempted to stop her. However, due to inadvertently prodding Zeus' pleads how Kratos should not "fail her like he did his family", Kratos released Pandora, attacking Zeus in a fit of rage, only to be stunned by the Flame's dissipation. Kratos then opened the Box once again, only to discover it was empty. Zeus mocked him for "another failure", and went outside to recover, while Kratos' fury boiled even further. Outside, father and son met again on the pavilion. But before either could claim victory, the platform suddenly shook rapidly, as a reawakened Gaia attempted to crush the pavilion between her hands. Seeing not other exit, Zeus and Kratos fled inside her chest, dueled near her heart, and sucked the life out of Gaia's heart. A rejuvenated Kratos finally bested Zeus, impaling him with the Blade of Olympus against Gaia's heart, killing both of them.
Awakening amidst cracked earth, Kratos found Zeus' body impaled on a rock, and extracted the blade callously. Kratos, overseeing the Chaos he had sent the world into, upon destroying Olympus.
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But Zeus' spirit, consumed by some lasting hatred for his infidel son, attacked Kratos, draining him of his willpower and anger, instead filling him with fear, and a sense of loss, bringing him on the verge of death. Trapped inside his own mind, taunted by his haunting memories, and his father, Kratos was then aided by Pandora, whose spirit lived on, abolishing the various torments of his soul. Overcoming these hurtles with a feeling of Hope, Kratos returned to the physical world and managed to free himself from Zeus' chocking grip. He then attacked his spirit, forcing him back into his own body, which Kratos then violently and relentlessly battered into a bloody pulp, ending Zeus' reign once and for all...

Arriving to congratulate Kratos, Athena requested Kratos to turn over the power he claimed from Pandora's Box. Kratos replied to Athena that there was nothing inside. Believing Pandora had died in vain, only to serve his need for vengeance, Kratos was suddenly struck with remorse over her death. Athena did not believe him however, as when the evils of the Titanomachy were first sealed into the box, she placed 'the most powerful weapon in the world' with them, to counteract the evils. She demanded Kratos to return the power he had obtained, as it rightfully belonged to her. For now that the world was cleansed by chaos, she would rebuild it under her rule, using the power of hope. Athena quickly came to realize however, that when Kratos first opened the box to kill Ares, the evils infected the gods of Olympus, taking hold of them. As the evils took hold of the gods, the power of hope instead infused itself into Kratos. Buried beneath all the layers of guilt, anger, and the need for revenge, Hope was finally released when Kratos finally learned to forgive his past deeds, thus releasing its power. Asking Kratos again, he refused, instead impaling himself onto the Blade, thereby releasing Hope into the mortal world, for humanity to embrace. An action that Athena would clearly despise, as she removed the Blade from his chest, uttering the world was not ready to harness this vast power, and how Kratos had disappointed her. Athena then left, leaving a laughing Kratos to die, his vengeance finally complete.

In a post-credits scene, the phoenix-engraved mural where Kratos' body lay was now empty, as a trail of blood lead back to the sea that now consumed the world...

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Hera - God Of War

Hera

"Bravo! Bravo! Our hero has arrived. Applause for another bastard child of Zeus, just in time for the final act." - Hera

In Greek Mythology, Hera was the goddess of marriage, protector of women, and Queen of the Gods. Wife to Zeus and also one of the original six Olympian siblings, she is also the sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, Hades, and Hestia as well. As Zeus' wife and queen, Hera was frequently enraged by her husband's constant adulterous escapades, and she often went out of her way to punish his mistresses and illegitimate children. She had a particular hatred of Hercules, and famously orchestrated most of the hardships and tragic events of his life, including his famous Twelve Labors. With her husband Zeus, Hera was the mother of Ares, Hebe, Eileithyia, and Eris. Hephaestus was also sometimes called a son of Zeus and Hera, but other accounts say that she gave birth to him without a father after Zeus brought forth Athena seemingly without a mother. Her Roman equivalent was Juno.

Although Hera does not appear herself, she is mentioned as part of puzzle, where the player has to locate the Necklace of Hera.

Again without appearing herself, Hera is mentioned when her favorite pet, the giant beast Argos, tries to stop Kratos. After it is killed by an unknown assassin, Kratos is blamed by the Gods for its murder, at the same time being stopped from uncovering the truth.

"You look terrible, dear." - Hera

Kratos meets Hera well into his conquest, though by this point she is in a drunken stupor. She despises Kratos for what he is doing to the world, and also expresses her hatred for her husband, Zeus, for having another bastard child. Although she seems to enjoy the prospect of Zeus' death, she tells Kratos that she can't let him try to take Pandora, and ironically sends out Hercules into the Arena as her champion to kill Kratos. Watching as they do battle, she enjoys the very sight of it, laughing intensely.

Sometime later, Kratos finds her again in her garden, weakened by the plagues that are killing her plants. Blaming him for her garden's state, she yells to Kratos that he is destroying the entire world with his actions, even attempting to ineffectually strike him in the process. After Kratos repels her, she staggers away, declaring that his "simple mind" will never find a way out of her gardens. In order for Kratos to reach and extinguish the The Flame of Olympus, he must pass through the marble-walled maze, even taking Hera's Chalice to activate a statue in aiding his passage. As he nears the end of the garden, he comes across Hera once more. She goads Kratos by calling Pandora 'the little whore', causing him to lose control, snapping her neck and killing her instantly. With her death, all flora in her garden and supposedly across the land withers and dies.

In death, Hera becomes Kratos' involuntary aid in escaping, as he uses her corpse to weigh down several pressure plates.

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