A/N:

New update to the story!

Now the updates on chapters will be a little slow due to the amount of work Cam and I have to deal with. I won't go into specific detail but it's just COMPLICATED.

But yeah, enjoy the new chapter.

~Chapter 4: A Chance in Acceptance~

The next morning, Dipper stirred in his sleep, his head lulling to the side of the soft pillow. He felt like he was awake. But at the same time the pounding headache in his brain told him to not open his eyes. He groaned in pain.

A loud snore emanated from Bill as he lay asleep hunched over his desk, his head resting in his folded arms on the wooden surface.

Dippers eyes snapped open when he suddenly heard a snore. His eyes darted to Bill over at his desk and he sighed in relief, glad that it wasn't anyone else. But as he thought...he realized that this was the captain's cabin. He looked down at the comfy bed 'Did I sleep in here?' He thought. He hissed when his head pounded again and he clenched his head 'And what the hell happened last night?'

Bill snorted and he shifted in his seat slightly, before resuming back to snoring.

Dipper glanced at him to see the many papers on his desk. 'He wasn't kidding when he said he researched...' Dipper thought. He slowly sat up in the bed and rest his back against the wall. He felt so sick all over. He remembered vaguely ordering a rum...but he forgot how much he drank.

Bill shifted in his seat and groaned softly, slowly sitting up and rubbing his neck. His eyes were still closed from morning sleepiness.

"Bill..." He whispered out and groaned after him. He held himself in his arms as the hangover got worse.

Bills eyes snapped open as he looked at Dipper, surprise briefly lingering on his face. "Oh Pine tree!" He exclaimed with a grin. "I forgot you were here, how did you sleep?"

Dipper winced at his loud voice and he managed to bring one hand to his eyelids, rubbing the outsides gently. "I guess it was ok...though I feel like I have the worst of plagues..." He muttered

"A hangover will do that to you." Bill replied with a grin.

"It hurts like hell...what happened last night?" Dipper asked softly, daring to open one eyelid to look at Bill.

"You had too much to drink," he replied, stretching in his seat.

Dipper groaned, holding his head in his hands "I'm a moron..." He whispered

"It happens to the best of us."

"And yet you can hold yours well..." Dipper said.

"I've been drinking much longer than you, if I have enough I will know in the morning." He replied.

Dipper slowly nodded in understanding. It was like getting hit with a sledgehammer constantly after you wake up. "Didn't you say something about a mirror last night?" He asked as the thought came into his head

Bill perked up. "Yes! I read it in.. Oh hold on." He said as he rifled through the mess on his desk until he found a certain book with a light blue cover and faded white lettering. He picked it up and scooted his chair back so he could stand and walk over to Dipper. Bill held out the book in his hand and grinned. "In here."

Dipper stared at the book in his hand and he lifted his hand to grasp onto the book. He looked at it closely and read the title out loud "Myths of the Sea?" He looked up at Bill.

Bill nodded and at him and say down on the edge of the bed beside Dipper. "Yep. Look at page 34"

Dipper opened the book up and flipped through the pages till he got to page 34. On the page, there was a drawing of a very fancy mirror with a silver border around the glass. The design had swirling patterns that came out from all sides with pointy ends sticking out on the sides. "Whoa..." He whispered

Bill peered over the top of the book to look at the picture again.

Dipper looked at the title of the page which he read out loud "'The Revealing Mirror'" he then looked at the subtitle underneath it "'See what has been unseen...'"

Bill nodded quietly as Dipper read aloud

"What does that mean exactly? Is it like visions of the future?" Dipper asked, looking up at Bill.

Bill shrugged. "Maybe!"

"Huh..." Dipper says, pursing his lips together. Then he looks down at the page again to read more into it.
A knock suddenly came at the door and Dipper looked up from the book, his heart skipping a beat. "It's been sunrise for a long time now, blondie," a voice said through the door "Did you die or something?"
"Blondie?" Dipper whispered in confusion. Who was that anyways? It sounded like a woman.

Bill jumped up quickly and ran over to the door, cursing under his breath. He opened it up to glare at the intruder.

Wendy just smirked at him when she saw his death glare "Morning, Captain." She greeted him, folding her arms. Dipper strained his head to look and see who was at the door.

"Morning Red." He muttered back and stepped out of the cabin as he started barking orders at his crew.

Wendy watched him leave but not before taking a second glance inside the cabin. She noticed that Dipper was on the bed inside his cabin with a book on his lap and she smiled at him. 'So that's where he was...' She thought before turning and walking away.

Dipper clenched the sheets when he saw the woman's face. She was the lady in the bar just one night ago...the one that was eavesdropping on him and Bill. What was she doing here? Better yet, why did Bill let her on board? Questions boggled up in Dippers mind and he was determined to know the answers. As quickly as he could with his hangover, he slid off Bill's bed and closed the book, leaving it on the sheets and he made his way outside.

Soon the Golden Eye was sailing away from shore with Bill at the front, staring out at the ocean intently.

Wendy walked to the side of the ship, placing her hands on the side of the ship. The gentle breeze came over her and blew her hair slightly back as she gazed at the ocean. She smiled a bit and turned her head to glance at Dipper.

Dipper was minding his own business over by the mast and he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched. He moved his head around until his eyes fixated with the red head by the side of the ship. He shifted in his stance uncomfortably and turned away from her.

Bill jumped to Dippers side and placed a hand on his head, roughly rubbing it affectionately. "You up for work Pine Tree?" He asked.

Dipper got startled for a moment when he felt Bill's hand on his hand. His bandanna slipped over to his eyes with his hair looking messy in the process. He quickly adjusted his bandanna so it was still covering his forehead "As I'll ever be, Captain." He replied, slightly glad to get his mind off of the woman.

Bill smiled down warmly at him. "Then get to work!"

"Aye aye, sir." Dipper looked up at Bill for a short moment, seeing his smile. He tugged the corner of his lips up a bit to him before walking away to do his work.

Bill watched him walk away, a large smile still on his face. That boy was going to do great things, Bill felt that in his gut.

Dipper went off to grab his usual mop and bucket before he was cut off by a lanky man with black hair and lightly tan skin. He looked up at him, slightly backing away cautiously since he was still haunted by the last encounter with the crew. "Hi..." He greeted.

The man grinned down at him "Hey there. Dipper was it?" He asked, noticing Dipper nod in response to that. "The names Lee. Don't worry I'm not gonna hurt ye, I've learned not to disobey the captn's requests."

"Then what exactly do you want?" Dipper asked, folding his arms behind his back.

"Can you wield a sword well?" Lee gestured to Dippers ruby hilted sword.

Dipper placed his hand on the handle "I've learned the basics..." Dipper replied

"How about we 'ave a little duel? You know, 'ave some fun?" Lee offered as he took out his sword from his holster.

"I don't know..." Dipper felt unsure about this. He had learned a few techniques a while back. But he was afraid that it wouldn't be good enough

"Ah come on now, it won't be like a fight to the death or anything. Besides it will get some entertainment for these lackeys." Lee pointed out.

Dipper thought for a moment about this. If he were to win this duel, he would be able to prove himself to the crew. But if he were to lose...well...what harm would be in that? Dipper finally nodded "Alright you're on." He agreed

Bill was on the other side of the ship when he heard the sound of swords clashing. He swore under his breath and began to stomp towards the sound, ready to break up yet another fight. But when he saw that it was Dipper holding the sword and a crew member Bill barely recalled went by the name Lee, he stopped and leaned against a post to watch.

Wendy turned to see that Dipper and another man she did not know were sword fighting across the deck. She sat on the side of the ship to watch with interest. The crew had also stopped what they were doing and watched from different directions as Dipper fought with Lee.

Dipper blocked each of Lee's attacks with trained skill, keeping sure that his footwork was in place. Lee swung his sword forward in a strong blow which Dipper was able to block just in time. Only just barely. Dipper tried to use his quick thinking in the situation he was in and he saw an opening at Lee's left side. Dipper pushed Lee back from his position and he quickly swung his sword at Lee's side. Lee just barely managed to block it after his sudden surprise at being pushed back.

Dipper took this opportunity to his advantage and lifted his foot up, kicking Lee straight in the gut, causing him to fall to the ground. Dipper stood over Lee, both covered in sweat and he aimed his sword at Lee's throat. He slightly grinned for the first time in days, feeling proud of his victory. But it only lasted for a few seconds when he was suddenly kicked to the ground, his bandanna flying off his head in the process.

Dipper landed with a thud, his hair pushed back to reveal something peculiar on his head. It was the mark of the Big Dipper that he tried so hard to conceal.

Bill stepped forward and walked to the front of the crowd, clapping slowly. "Well done!" He exclaimed proudly, bending over and picking up Dippers bandanna and tossing it over to him. "That was a fine match indeed!" Bill said before turning to face everyone else. "I want you all to practice like that, we are getting rusty out here and who knows when our next raid is? Practice whenever you can!" He yelled out for the rest of the men and woman to hear.

Wendy's eyes widened slightly as she instantly saw the birthmark on Dippers forehead. 'It's him. Just like he said.' Wendy thought to herself. She got off the side of the ship and casually walked away from the scene and over to the stairs below decks.

Dipper slowly sat up on the deck, wiping the sweat that was on his forehead until he realized that his bandanna wasn't on him. His eyes widened in panic as he saw that his bandanna was tossed to him by his captain. He quickly picked it up and shoved it back onto his head, covering the mark once more. Did anybody see his birthmark? Will they make fun of him now? He swallowed nervously as he made sure the bandanna was tightly attached to his head.

Bill noticed his nervousness and waited beside him as the crew dispersed. He held out a hand to help him up after Dipper finished tying his bandana back on his head, grinning down at him and the sun behind his head, giving him a dark silhouette. "You alright there Pine Tree?" He asked.

Dipper glanced at his hand and looked up at him. He accepted his palm, pulling himself up onto his feet. "I-I'm fine..." He stuttered, rubbing his forehead slowly as he felt the fabric.

Bill patted his back. "Good match there, you really put up a fight!"

"But...but I lost..." Dipper looked down at the ground in shame.

"Of course you did, Lee has years of practice and look at his size! You lasted longer than I thought you would, so I think that's a feat in itself."

Dippers eyebrows furrowed together making his forehead crease. He sighed, lifting his head back up "I'll win one day..." He said

"That you will!" Bill exclaimed, strutting away to yell at some men who were slacking.

Dipper looked out to the horizon. No one even spoke of his mark...'Maybe no one saw it after all.' He thought, feeling slightly relieved about it.

But he did not realize that Wendy had saw his mark and had took immediate action to send a bottle out to sea, carrying a small parchment which had read; "Find the Golden Eye. I have found him."