CHARACTER
Gregor the Overlanderby Suzanne Collins

Ares

Ares

Quick Facts

  • Role: Giant, glossy black bat of the Underland; originally bonded to Henry, later to Gregor
  • First appearance: Chapter 4, during the stadium intimidation
  • Allegiances: Begins aligned with the royal line via Henry; ultimately sides with the quest to find Gregor's Dad
  • Key relationships: Henry (original bond), Gregor (new bond), Aurora (peer and fellow flier)

Who They Are

Bold and imposing in the air yet quiet in speech, Ares begins as a mount—a shadow behind a swaggering rider. But his story becomes one of conscience. Forced to choose between an oath and a life, he embodies the heart of the Underland’s Betrayal and Loyalty theme: Is honor obedience to a vow, or fidelity to what’s right? In answering that question, Ares transforms from accessory to moral agent, altering the course of the quest and the wider War and Conflict shaping the Underland.

Personality & Traits

Ares balances warrior strength with moral gravity. He lives by the sanctity of the bond—a sacred bat-human oath—until that very code is weaponized by Henry’s treachery. His decisive break from tradition is not rebelliousness for its own sake, but a principled refusal to be complicit in evil.

  • Loyal (to a fault, until it isn’t): Early on, he mirrors Henry’s choices, even when Henry is reckless, signaling how deeply the bat-human bond governs him (Chapter 4).
  • Principled: When Henry reveals his betrayal, Ares refuses blind allegiance and chooses to save a life instead, redefining loyalty as moral clarity (Chapter 25).
  • Reserved: He speaks rarely and softly; his quiet underscores the weight of his few, carefully chosen words.
  • Brave: In battle against the rats he engages without hesitation, a physical courage that later aligns with ethical courage.
  • Tormented yet humble: After Henry’s fall, his grief is raw; he doubts his worthiness even when offered redemption (Chapter 26).
  • Powerful and agile: Selected to carry the heaviest load—Gregor, Boots, and two roaches—because he is “both strong and agile” (Chapter 15), marking him as an elite flier.

Character Journey

At first, Ares is an extension of Henry’s status: the sleek, black emblem of royal confidence. The quest to find Gregor’s father puts that identity under pressure, culminating at the canyon when Henry’s treason surfaces. In seconds, the codes that defined Ares—oath, hierarchy, partnership—collide with the sight of an innocent falling to his death. Ares dives, not for his bond-mate, but for the boy who represents the Underland’s hope. That choice fractures tradition and saves a life, but it also leaves Ares bereft, accused, and facing banishment. When Gregor answers with a new bond, Ares accepts not a return to the old code but a reimagined one: loyalty anchored in shared truth, not inherited title. The arc turns him from silent mount to moral actor—his strength finally aligned with his conscience.

Key Relationships

  • Henry: Ares’s original rider shapes his identity, making him a paragon of oath-bound loyalty—until Henry’s betrayal exposes the danger of vows without judgment. The severed bond is both a personal tragedy and the crucible in which Ares’s integrity is forged.

  • Gregor: Initially cargo, Gregor becomes the life Ares chooses to save, then the partner who grants him purpose again. Their bond—initiated by Gregor—transforms the bat-human oath from ceremony into covenant, built on earned trust and shared danger rather than royal entitlement.

  • Aurora: As Luxa’s Luxa bat and Ares’s peer, Aurora flies and fights beside him. Their teamwork underscores bat solidarity independent of their riders’ politics, and frames Ares’s choice at the canyon as a deviation from a norm he otherwise honors.

Defining Moments

Ares’s story turns on decisions made in the air—where strength, speed, and judgment must meet.

  • The Stadium Intimidation (Chapter 4)

    • What happens: Ares joins the circling bats as Henry lounges on his back, intimidating the newcomer.
    • Why it matters: Establishes Ares as Henry’s extension—power used to project royal superiority—foreshadowing the cost of such borrowed identity.

  • The Choice at the Canyon (Chapter 25)

    • What happens: With Henry falling amid the rats and Gregor plummeting toward the rocks, Ares dives past his own bond-mate to catch Gregor.
    • Why it matters: He redefines loyalty as moral action, prioritizing life and the greater good over a corrupted vow—the climax of his ethical awakening.

  • The Bonding with Gregor (Chapter 26)

    • What happens: Facing exile for breaking his bond, Ares is spared when Gregor initiates a new ceremony.
    • Why it matters: This restores Ares’s honor on new terms. The bond becomes an act of mutual choice, transforming an institution into a partnership of equals.

Essential Quotes

“I did not know, Overlander. I swear to you I did not know.”
— Chapter 25
Ares’s first words after the canyon aren’t triumphant; they’re a plea for moral recognition. The line reveals both his ignorance of Henry’s plot and his agony over the consequences, separating complicity from culpability and underscoring his need to rebuild trust.

“Oh, no, Overlander. I am not worthy to accept.”
— Chapter 26
His humility here complicates the image of the fearsome flier. Even after a heroic rescue, Ares doubts he deserves a second bond, showing that his concept of honor isn’t self-exalting—it requires accountability, contrition, and consent.

“Gregor the human, I bond to you,
Our life and death are one, we two.
In dark, in flame, in war, in strife,
I save you as I save my life.”
— Chapter 26
The ritual words gain new meaning in Ares’s mouth: they are a vow consciously reclaimed, not passively inherited. Each line fuses physical courage with ethical commitment, making the bond a promise to choose what is right—even when it costs everything.