From my Garganta, I withdrew into my Inner World, and I landed atop the landing platform that Pestie had created for me to land upon when I arrived within the realm.
"Welcome back my lord." The pixie once called Pestie spoke as she appeared within a gust of wind as she had bound herself onto my Mantle, she was able to call upon aspects of my powers like how the summer or winter Fae who directly served the courts Queens could use some of their patrons' powers.
But Pestie was no longer a 'pest' of a pixie I was a world bearer and thus a minor god in my own right so after the couple weeks she had been in my service she had changed from being a barely more than half a foot tall pixie to a three-foot-tall fairy with full human curves, long luscious green hair, and her see-through wings became a pair of beautiful butterfly wings. She also bore regal clothes she had spun herself out of the songs that echoed from the winds crossing the sand dunes and mountains that filled my world.
In honor of her transformation, I tore the name Pestie from her as it was an insult to not only her but myself and thus granted her a true name worthy of her stature as my herald in the Fae lands.
"Astrid, has Titania still been testing around the world's barriers?" I asked as Astrid gracefully without her hands even touching my flesh, stripped the blood-soaked clothes off of myself so I could step into the bath she had already prepared for me.
"Yes, for a time my lord. But Lady Galatea got tired of her incessant games in attempting to earn a favor from you and used one of her warrior daughters who were traveling with Titania as a bludgeon to repel them from your land." Astrid said and I could feel the Summer Fae Queen's displeasure from across the Fae realm as my herald used the hint of her true name that I had shared with her.
But I couldn't care less... An army of Fae could do nothing to me and Galatea so even if Titania blustered or threatened to lead uncountable horrors to my land or did as she was doing in attempting to earn my favor, I simply threatened to open portals to oceans and drown her bountiful lands in the saltiest of seas to render her powerbase mute as the entire land would die.
While I was cleaning up and getting the information about what had been happening for the last couple days, I heard the bathroom door slam open with a loud crash!
"Astrid! I told you to tell me when Jake gets back!" Galatea yelled as she all but stomped into the bathroom.
"Lady Galatea I was just making sure the Lord was taken care of!" Astrid said proudly not even defending herself. But was actually saying that devoting her entire attention to myself was more important than sending a gust of wind carrying her voice to Galatea.
"You pervert he is taking a shower!" Galatea scolded with an eye twitching as she saw my bemused face with soap running down my body as the blood had finally been washed away and more importantly, gore had been washed out of my long hair.
"Tea join me," I spoke and Galatea's mouth snapped shut for a moment before she scowled at me for ending her little tirade.
But Galatea was a woman with a quick fuse as it were. Quick to blow and quick to settle down afterward.
"Fine! Tell me what stupid stuff you got caught up in back on Earth while I get the sand out of my hair." Galatea muttered as she pulled off the tight-fitting turtleneck and pants, she was wearing to keep the sand of my Hueco Mundo replica from getting everywhere.
Astrid was then shooed away by Galatea who then jumped into the shower with me with it only being the two of us.
While we showered and cleaned up, I told Galatea of my dealing of Queen Bee, and I couldn't help but I thought back to a bit after I left the Justice League.
-
Even if Hueco Mundo was my 'Inner World' that didn't mean at all that it was impregnable or unfindable as it was still at its core a world formed from a Mundane Egg and thus part of the reverse side of the DC Universe in the supernatural side of the universe.
Hence I was able to get some dwarves and some other Fae to magically build me a nice little castle in the course of like three days for a smidgen of the gold and silver I collected from the criminals I looted back on Earth.
But the mass spending and the news of my existence had somehow reached Queen Titania who was furious to learn that a Mundane Egg something she had been hunting for religiously for more than a Millenium slipped through her fingers and now some new unknown lord was her better that hadn't been around for thousands of years.
Other than Galatea and Astrid getting into comical little arguments as Astrid's 'idea' of serving went above even Galatea's allowances at times, Galatea could never stay angry at the fairy as she was simply too good of a cook...
"That bitch and her posse of servants are so damned annoying! Can't we just leave and go beat her up or something?" Galatea complained about Titania once again earning a chuckle from me as I shook my head.
"No... Titania is weak. Truely for being a Queen within the Fae Realms, she is comically weak. But she has connections and is owed the Fae rule's enforced favors to countless beings. If she comes harassing us, we are free to smack her around and bully her, but if we directly attack, she can call upon those that owe her favors without making herself look as weak." I explained after me and Galatea snuggled up on a couch on a tilted balcony overlooking the endless desert dunes of Hueco Mundo.
I actually loved the Fae realms; I mean sure there were some rules to it. But morals? Yeah, those weren't a thing. If you like someone, give them enough gold they never need to work again in their lives. If you hate them, well just kill them out of general view and no one will give a damn unless the person had direct kin.
After telling how Queen Bee was a bit of a dead end she hummed in thought.
"What about Lucifer? You mentioned he has a bar in LA, so why don't we go see if he is willing to give us a hint?" She asked and I wanted to snort at the idea of asking Satan for a favor... But didn't I read or hear that Lucifer hated Vandal Savage? I pondered for a bit before I shrugged.
"Alright. It's worth a try, it's not like he is going to smite us on sight anyway." I said finally and then I just face-planted into Galatea's chest as we lay next to one another on our long couch. "Lemmie just get a nap first," I said muffledly earning a giggle from Galatea who brushed her hands through my hair.