Mal, Son of Ares

Mal (Full name Malacoda) is a character in Gods and Mortals. He is the demigod son of Ares, god of war and bloodlust.

Past
After his mother killed herself, Mal was raised as an orphan. He got along well with others until Ares started posessing him. Due to his almost split nature from possession, Mal was treated as a disabled child. A fact which annoyed him greatly. He broke out of the institution they kept him in when he became 12 and became a fighter at a gambling den. He was never beaten in a match much to the annoyance of people that play dirty. Mal was kicked out of the den when he stole a pair of empowered gauntlets when possessed by Ares. He wears them to this day.

After being kicked out, Mal taught himself how to survive in the harsh world around him. He also learned how to eject Ares from his body, which meant his rampages were shorter than before. Even so, he carried on fighting to survive and against his father.

Book 1
Mal first met up with the other Demigods when he was posessed by Ares. Knowing what they are and eager for vengeance against the Olympians, Ares tried to kill them. The demigods managed to hold him off while Mal regained control (After Dawn bashed him on the head). Feeling a bit guilty for his actions and needing to heal some wounds and stitch up his torn clothing, he left the Demigods for a moment. He later rejoined just after Dawn lost her memory and helped the group on their way to the sanctuary. This included boarding a subway train illegaly, as they were about to miss the train and he didn't fancy paying for the tickets. On the train, he got to know the others a bit better from conversations he overheard and from talking to them.

(Under Construction)

Personality
Mal can be friendly and helpful to those he trusts. Because of Ares' influence over his life, Mal is also harsh, silent and places his situation above others. When fighting, his personality changes to one of an arrogant fighter that taunts and laughs during battle. Whenever he has to end a battle he hasn't won, he is very disgruntled by being denied victory. When possessd by his father, he becomes very violent and frenzied.

Personal Traits

 * He is very good at first aid
 * Mal is also a good tailor
 * Both of these traits are useful seeing as he gets into many fights.

Special Abilities

 * Mal can taste blood to determine a person's location or physical condition
 * He can heal quicker than most humans
 * Versed in all forms of combat thanks to his heretige

Talos Fist
Mal charges up large amounts of energy and fires it as one large fist that bulldozes all in it's path before the command to detonate it is given. Useful for crowd control or finishing off a tough opponent.

Bloodlust Rage
When Ares controls Mal, he is able to perform this deadly attack. First, he intensifies his anger and uses his gauntlets to create slashing claws on each finger. He then dashes towards his opponent and proceeds to tear them apart with the claws he created. After that, the possessed Mal delivers the killing blow, a slash to the neck. This move is used to finish off tough opponents and hasen't been used. Yet.

Wardrobe
Mal wears a white scarf with a black zigzag down the middle of it, a black long-sleeved tee, grey camoflage trousers, walking boots and whatever pieces of the Armor of Talos he is wearing. He also has a black poncho, but that's gone out of season.

Items

 * Gauntlets of Talos. Forged from the body of the bronze titan, these multiply the strength of the user by three and can be charged with energy.
 * Shoulder Pads of Talos. Increases strength, protection and energy output if coupled with other armour pieces. Mal obtained this from the Smithsonian when Ares possessed him.
 * Android-operating phone. Useful for almost any situation.
 * Reflective sunglasses. Useful when attacking Gorgons.

Weaknesses

 * He's never able to resist Ares' influence without help
 * Mostly un-educated due to his past actions

Romance(?)
Dawn

The daughter of Poseidon always helps him during times of trouble, to which he is thankful for. However, he knows about her feelings for Joshua and is put off by the fact she insulted him and ignored some of his suggestions during the fight in the Washington Museum. He also doesn't like the blood link she made between them, as he feels it could be used against him. Mal doesn't think that things will work out between them.

Family
Ares - Ares is Mal's father, imprisoned in the underworld for his crimes against humanity. He constantly possesses his son's body so he can have the fun his prison denies him. Mal hates his father with a passion and seeks a way to teach him a lesson.

Trivia

 * Mal is named after Malacoda, a demon in Dante Algheri's divine comedy who guards the ring of Fraud
 * Ares named him that because he foresaw his son would regard him as a demon. To quote the imprisoned deity, it was a 'fitting punishment'.