[Mentar]

Originally Posted by telamont

Mentar, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we straying from the main point? I thought the main point of the argument was whether Athena would have gone through with her sacrifice or not, and not whether or not she wanted to die?

I don't see how these points can be kept apart. At least, you can not live and sacrifice yourself at the same time.

Mentar, you seem to interpret it as Athena regretting her decision and deciding to back out of her sacrifice. That's fine.

Yes. This is the only logical conclusion I can reach. Which, by the way, is one of the few remaining ways how the story can "sell" Athena to me - as the girl who wants/needs Hayate the most.

But the opposing viewpoint (well, mine at least) is that that line was actually Athena resigning herself to death. She did not want to die, but to protect Hayate from Midas, she would have.

That's not enough, and not plausible in my book. Let's take aside that I fail to see any indication so far (other than her mere announcement) that she is actively trying to intervene, the key is that she was announcing an _activity_ (unsummoning Midas and herself), not a passive form like "I'll let Midas eat me". That's what _Midas_ tried to do, and we could see the progress of him taking Athena into himself.

I also consider the theory floated by Musouka unconvincing that she was in the active process of unsummoning them and only kind of thinking around. Again, no drawing or text in the panel supports this IMHO. And it also undermines the dramatic reversal which was shown in Athena's behavior.

That line was simply her finally letting out everything she had bottled up inside herself before dying, complete with a "life flashing before her eyes" experience. Her final will and testament so to speak.

She is trying to actively convince herself that it's okay that he didn't call her name anymore, that he found happiness elsewhere. Then she hesitates until eventually she realizes that she is NOT okay. That she DOES want to hear him call her. This is NOT the reaction of someone willing to sacrifice herself anymore, this is the famous trademark "Damsel in distress caling for Hayate to save her and he does" scene, and, in my opinion, by far the most important scene regarding the Athena-Hayate relationship. The parallel to the Nagi/Hina calls can't be denied, and there the calls also were "RESCUE ME!" and not "OMIGOSH, I'M DYING, IT'S A TRAGEDY!"

I'm puzzled why you among several others are also so hung up to argue against the obvious, against what's shown in the panels. In the end, Athena chose not to save Hayate and the others (by unsummoning herself and Midas), her longing for him was too much. So she wished to be saved by Hayate instead. To live, WITH him. And yet again, Hayate is the knight in shining armor and delivers: Athena is saved.

Everything here is entirely consistent with Athena's character and prior actions. And I don't get why especially Athena-shippers would argue against this, because it further elevates Athena's position. However, it would require them to knock down their glorification/worship a peg, and I guess that's the reason why it's so hard to accept.