Morpheus' younger brother, Phantasos, makes a blanket of nightmares to give to everyone because he feels that he should have been made God of Sleep instead of Morpheus. The mortals' nightmares start to concern all the Gods on Olympus and task it to Hercules and Phil to stop Phantasos' in their own shared dreams?
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Anxiety Dreams: Phantasos didn't just include generic monsters. He included typical everyday fears as well. For example, Icarus dreams that Cassandra flies into the sun and Cassandra dreams of being Snow White and Icarus being the seven dwarfs.
- Blessed with Suck: Herc tries to hide from the three-headed Hydra by it keeps following him.
- Buffy Speak: Nightmares didn't exist until Phantasos enacted his plan, so nobody has a word for it. All they can call them are 'not dreams'.
- Burp of Finality: Subverted. The Hydra eats Hercules and all three heads burp when done, but Hercules is dreaming the whole time.
- Clothing Damage: When the Hydra grabs Hercules by his cape, Herc removes the cape to escape the monster's jaws.
- Disney Death: Hercules is eaten alive by the Hydra, but in his dream.
- Dream Weaver: Literally. Phantasos uses a blanket made of patches with as many fears as he can think of to cause people nightmares.
- Eaten Alive: Hercules was eaten by a three-headed Hydra in his bad dreams.Hercules: Help. Can't...get out. Stuck in...pancreas!
- Eating the Enemy: Phantasos ate Hercules as a three-headed Hydra and Typhon, though they were in Dreamland.
- Epiphany Therapy: Hercules realizes that even though they don't like them, the nightmares are helping him and others work through issues they've been having in the waking world. Morpheus states it's because nightmares put into pictures things that can't be explained with words.
- From Bad to Worse: The first two nights Phantasos gives people bad dreams, like Hercules battling the Hydra and losing his sword and being swallowed whole. When Hercules finally confronts Phantasos, he turns from Phil's mother to the three-headed Hydra. Herc pulls out his sword but it turns into a bouquet of flowers rather than an actual weapon, causing the Hydra to grab him by the cape and start snapping at him like the previous nightmares. While Herc escapes by removing his cape, the Hydra follows him wherever he ran or hide, forcing Herc to fight his fears.
- Hydra Problem: When Hercules fights the Hydra, revealed to be Phantasos in Hercules' dreams.Herc: [The three-headed Hydra grabs Herc and start snapping at him] Phil, I need a sword! Find me a sword!
Phil: Kid, the last thing you used to defeat the Hydra is a sword. You got enough mouths to feed already!
Herc: What am I supposed to do?!
Phil: Remember why you here: fight your fear, not The Hydra! - I'm Not Afraid of You: After being afraid of his dreams, Hercules boldly confronts Phantasos as a three-headed Hydra and Typhon.
- Multiple Head Case: Hercules fights a three-headed Hydra in his dreams. Phantasos transforms into the Hydra and thinks he's won, but Hercules fought his fear by tying the three heads together and grabbing its tail, throwing the Hydra away and defeated it.
- Oh, Crap!: Hercules when he faces the Hydra in his nightmares, specifically when his sword turned into a bouquet of flowers.
- Our Hydras Are Different: Hercules faces the Hydra in his dreams. However, the episode that it is Phantasos transformed into the multi-headed monster.
- Run or Die: In his first dream, adult Hercules tries to run away from the three-headed Hydra, only for one head to grab him by the cape. During the final dream, Herc tries running and hiding from the Hydra, only for the monster to keep following him.
- The Scream: There are many instances where Herc screams in his Hydra dreams. In his second nightmare, Hercules screams for help before the Hydra swallows him whole.
