User blog comment:Thailog/Ep. 207 "Depths" discussion/@comment-99.182.12.237-20120616055814/@comment-4928331-20120616062021

Why fake her death? Two reasons.

(1) By convincing the good guys AND the bad guys that Aqualad killed a former team member, it cements his street cred in Black Manta's group. Makes him promote faster.

(2) By "killing" her off, Artemis would be free to display her combat abilities wiithout fear that someone might connect her to Artemis the hero.

Why put her in this danger with no protection? Well, I guess she agreed to the risk. Aqualad is going to look out for her, but that does not excuse the fact that it IS very dangerous.

Why not send someone with powers? Too obvious. For example if you send in Wally or Superboy undercover, do you really think they'll blend in better than a badass normal like Artemis?