Ghost King Meets Batman

Be Prepared

 [The picture above came from @Wisegirl2023 please let her know what you think of her work in the comments.]

[Edited July 24, 2022]

  Nico woke up the next morning with a new sense of purpose. He knew what he had to do, but he still had to figure out how to do it. There were a lot of skills he had picked up over the years as a solo demigod that he knew would come in handy, but he wasn't so arrogant to think that he was prepared for Tartarus. There was a lot he would still need to learn before he could even think about making the leap. He needed a plan.

The demigod had woken up earlier than usual so he used that time to take a quick shower and then compile a list of skills he thought he would need in Tartarus. He was sure that Bruce and the others would have more ideas, but he wasn't about to let them in on his plan-- they'd never let him go through with it if they knew about it. Nico wrote down the first things that came to mind and tried not to get discouraged by the thought of having to go through the process of learning all these things. It was one thing to know what you needed to do, it was entirely another to actually do it.

On the list he wrote:

Reconnaissance skills
Wilderness survival/ basic first aid
Stealth training
Endurance training
Diplomacy skills
Diversion tactics
Rock climbing?
Grappling hook skill/parachutes/other support gear

Nico reviewed his list and started to feel overwhelmed. He had no idea how he was supposed to survive the fall into Tartarus or what was waiting for him down there once he did. He didn't know whether he would be able to make it to the doors unnoticed or not or what would happen if he couldn't. There were so many variables to consider and failure wasn't an option.

The problem of the fall concerned him. The only thing he could think of was parachuting down, but he had no idea how he would practice that. There was no way he was getting on a plane to try it out. Where would he even get his hands on a parachute? He was sure Bruce had some but how would get away with taking one? If he did get one, where would he go to practice and how would he get assistance if something went wrong? Maybe he could convince Bruce it was for his vigilante training, but he didn't think the older hero would buy it.

First aid and survival skills spoke for themselves-- there was no telling what sort of environment he would be dropping into or how long it would take him to complete the mission. If he was going to be there for an extended period, then he would have to live off the land. He would also have a limited supply of ambrosia and nectar so he would have to stock up on some medicinal herbs from Persephone's garden. She wouldn't like it if she found out, but this was too important to skip. In a pinch, details like those could be the difference between life and death.

Nico had no idea what kind of monsters he would meet in the pit, but he knew that some of them would monologue. The son of Hades figured that it couldn't hurt to learn some more diplomacy skills. He'd known demigods to survive encounters using all sorts of methods other than fighting. Some used deception or flattery while others were able to turn whole groups of monsters against each other and let them take each other out. If he could do anything to help himself avoid a fight, he was going to try it.

With an idea of what he needed to do, Nico took a few moments to compose himself well enough to not be suspicious and made his way downstairs for breakfast. There was one thing that he had managed to pick up from the others without even trying, a mastery over how he allowed himself to express his emotions. He had learned how to steady his breathing and relax the muscles in his face to hide what he was truly thinking and feeling. He had even managed to confuse a lie detector test. Hopefully, it would be enough to fool the Waynes.

During breakfast, Nico tried not to dwell on the mission. I needed to seem happy and unbothered because if he gave even the slightest hint that something was off and they would be all over him. He made it through breakfast without a hitch and spent the rest of the morning in the gym. He might as well start on the list immediately. The exercises helped to clarify the mind and he added a few more things he needed to his mental list. Nico knew that he would need to study up on monsters and try to figure out touchy subjects and weak points. He needed to have anything that would help at his disposal.