Why did rhea say that mars was her son?

Rhea referred to Mars as her son because, in Roman mythology, Mars is the God of War and the son of Jupiter and Juno. However, Rhea is often associated with the Greek equivalent, Rhea, who is the mother of the Olympian gods, including Ares (the Greek counterpart of Mars). The statement might also be interpreted as a metaphorical expression of the connection between the goddess of fertility and motherhood and the warlike nature of Mars, highlighting the duality of creation and destruction in mythology.