BRADLEY CLARKE - ARES, GOD OF WAR
God Name: Ares
Human Name: Bradley Clarke
Human's Age: 21
God's History: Link. Ares was the child of Hera and Zeus, born of an immaculate conception.
Human's Biography:Bradley was born in London, England. His father was drunken, hateful and abusive - his mother dejected, depressed, but occasionally loving. Both of his parents worked low-paying jobs, which not only meant that Bradley was left to live in a low-end flat in one of the rough areas of London, but that he was also left to his own devices, mostly neglected from his parents. When they were not working they were usually too tired to look after him, or, in Bradley's father's case, unmoved by Bradley's yearning for attention and more concerned with drinking away his worries and watching the television. Most of Bradley's infant years were spent in the care of his grandmother, but when she passed away he was, for the most part, alone.
As a child, Bradley was quiet and antisocial. He spent most of his time alone and made a concious effort to avoid the dangerous streets - not only because his mother warned him of their perils, but also because he would surely receive a beating from his father if he was caught somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. He was an intelligent young lad, but he had a lack of confidence. But he lived in a world of violence and danger, so he could not afford to have this attitude - not for long. As he grew closer to his teens his life began to change, and he began to fall in with what his mother would call "the wrong crowd."
His early and mid teens revolved greatly around Bradley leeching around the streets with his friends. They were typical in their nature, considering the area that they came from. They dabbled in crime and violence, two things that Bradley was very hesitant to involve himself in. But peer pressure got to him, and he did both quite regularly over the course of a few years. This violence gave Bradley the confidence that he required to survive - he could finally stand up to his father and protect his mother, who he desperately needed to protect, recently discovering that she had contracted cancer. When Bradley was 15, however, things were put in to perspective. Someone had started a fistfight with his best friend, who Bradley had jumped in to protect, which had resulted in Bradley being stabbed in the chest twice.
Bradley survived thanks to an old woman who witnessed the fight calling an ambulance almost immediately. His mother found out, and he was scolded endlessly, despite almost having his life taken from him. He promised his mother that he would change, become a better person. He stuck to his word, too, as he knew his mother did not have long to live and he would do everything in his power to improve himself. He had always been a "good" person deep down, or at least he said he was. He respected women, loved children, and believed that violence was seldom ever necessary. It was his frail young mind that had been easily penetrated by the jeers of his school friends, which had in turn tempted him over to a life of crime.
He instantly set to work catching up what he had missed in school, truly focusing and, eventually, getting very good grades. He was still the same person he was as a small boy - but now, he had courage and confidence. His mother passed away when Bradley was 18 - luckily, an age that he could move out of home. He had a job running by this point, so he wouldn't have to live alone with his father. He moved out and applied for university, which he was soon accepted in to. This was a huge achievement for him, and he knew that it would bring pride to his mother as it was rare for anyone in their neighbourhood to reach tertiary education.
He still boxed every day in the gym, hitting away at the punch-bag endlessly. He had a lot of pent up aggression and unreleased stress. He had taught himself to control it. That to be a good person, he had to keep his emotions in check. So on the outside, Bradley would seem like a very normal, kind, confident young man, but in truth, deep-down, he was damaged - damaged by his childhood years of watching his mother getting hit by his father, or Bradley taking a hit as well. He was not normal, and unfortunately, due to how he was raised, he never could be. There was a trigger, somewhere, that would set something primal off inside of him. He was just glad that nobody had set it off yet.
It was a typical day when it happened. He went to the gym that he and his friends used - it was due to close down in a weeks time, so he was making the use of it. When he was finished, he retired to the changing rooms, sat down on a bench and towelled the sweat from his forehead. Then the lights went out. One minute passed. The lights returned. He was frozen in place - sat on that bench, as motionless as the dead, leaning forward with his chin resting on his fist. After finding him there, the owners of the gym kept it open a little while longer, but were soon forced to close it. So he was left there, frozen, in an abandoned gym. His father never visited, he was probably off having sex with some prostitute or drinking himself to an early grave. His mother was dead. He was alone.
Now he's waking up.
